A Dawn for Night
by crhendrix523
Summary: B4 Breaking Dawn After an unexpected visit from mysterious foreign vampires, three members of Bella's new family are left deathly ill, and one missing. What is this mysterious illness and how will it affect Bella and her new family?
1. Chapter 1

He took a deep breath as he paced the room. I curled up on the bed and shivered. Alaska was cold. I wasn't used to it. He looked at me. I smiled warmly, trying to cheer his mood. He only furrowed his brow more and looked away. I glanced at my watch. I had planned on this going much faster.

"Darling, are you sure, you don't want Carlisle to do it?" I asked for the millionth time to my husband. Edward glanced at me again and went to sit next to me. He gathered me in his arms and I snuggled close to his chest. He kissed the top of my head gently.

"Please, Bella, give me a moment." He said. I nodded.

"Okay." I said. He lifted my face to his and looked me in the eyes.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" he asked. I heard the worry and fear in his voice. I put my hands on his hands and smiled.

"Edward, I've never been so sure of anything in my life. Please, just get it over with." I said. I tried not to sound as desperate as I was, but I feared my voice gave away my desperation. He looked at me again and nodded, kissing my forehead.

"Alright." He laid me gently down on the bed and kissed my cheek, then my lips. I sighed as his lips hypnotized me. He trailed kisses down my neck and to the top of my shoulders, then back up again, slowly letting his tongue linger on my skin. He paused at the base of my throat and I felt him swiftly bite down. I flinched at the impact of the wound, but then I began to feel the fire.

I screamed as it slowly spread through out my body, enveloping me in pain. I opened my eyes to find Edward sitting up, my blood upon his lips, his eyes flashing a dangerous red. He wanted more, I could tell, but he covered up my wound with a bandage. I couldn't stop screaming, my throat soon became raw, but that was nothing compared to what was happening to my body. I lost all sense of time, it just seemed to keep going, on and on for what felt like forever. I vaguely remember feeling a hand in my hand, but mostly, I couldn't stop thinking about how unbearable it was and how long it was lasting. I felt something in my chest pop. A wave of pain shot through me and I stopped screaming, gasping for breath. My eyes opened wide, but I saw nothing. I felt the fire turn cold and finally into a burning ice, that took over my body. I twitched and shook in agony as it took control of me.

When it began to ease, I whimpered. I felt a hand in mine and I squeezed as hard as I could, I felt the hand break beneath mine. Edward cursed, pulling away abruptly. I opened my eyes, seeing him nursing his hand. He looked at me and tried to give me one of his charming, crooked smiles, but I saw that I had truly hurt him.

"I'm sorry." I croaked. My throat was hoarse from screaming. He looked at me for a moment and leaned in to kiss me. The kiss was passionate and beautiful. Edward tasted amazing. I sighed into his mouth, noticing the pain was completely gone. I kissed him back, hungrily. We had never kissed like this before. He was always hesitant, he tangled his hands in my hair and I put my arms around his back. When we pulled away, we both had a dazed expression on our faces. "Whoa." I whispered. He smiled and kissed me again.

I sat up, I found myself amazingly hungry. I looked at Edward. He seemed to know what I wanted.

"We'll go hunting soon. Do you want to see your new family?" he asked, holding his hand out. I smiled and stood, taking it, gently. He led me out of the room and to the top of the stairs. I found that the Cullen's were all waiting anxiously for us to emerge. Alice was the first to greet me when I came out, she flew up the stairs and enveloped me in a hug. I hugged her back. She grinned.

"We're finally sisters!" she squealed. I smiled, truly happy.

I inspected myself in the mirror. There was something different, no doubts on that. I did not look like the same Isabella Swan-er- Cullen that I did three days ago. My hair was the same, but it fit me more. My face was the same, bright, pale color, my facial features were more pronounced, enhancing a beauty I didn't know existed. What caught me off-guard, however, was my eyes. They were a deep shade of red. I gasped as I inspected them, they scared me. I looked around frantically for Edward. He was next to me and noticed what was troubling me. He wrapped his arms around me.

"It's okay. It's just your blood." He explained.

"I want to change it." I said, my voice desperate. He chuckled.

"Okay, we will soon, can you wait just a couple minutes? Carlisle wants to talk to you about," he hesitated, "this." He led me to the cozy living room of their house in Alaska and I sat down on the couch, Carlisle in front of me. He smiled warmly and I returned it.

"You will hunger for human blood, Bella. That is a fact you may not have thought about when you agreed to this. No matter how full you are, you will always hunger for it. Do you understand?" he asked kindly, but bluntly. I nodded. Edward had told me this. He explained to me that I would be surprised at how difficult it would be for me to resist the temptations that the person that the urge for blood would create would not be someone I would be proud of. I nodded and listened, trying not to reveal that Carlisle was worrying me. Edward had not discussed much of the vampire issue with me. Carlisle explained how the hunting issue worked and that if I made any attempt to get away from the hunting party, they would restrain me. I nodded, understanding completely.

Alice, Jasper, and Emmett strolled into the room, all wearing dingy jeans and t-shirts and still all looking as glamorous as ever. Alice smiled at me and winked. I smiled back.

"Are you ready?" Emmett asked with a grin. I smiled wider at Edward who was looking weary. My smile wavered. What was wrong? I was finally one of them. I placed a cold hand on his arm, giving him a concerned look. He tried to smile at me, but it didn't quite look real.

"Of course." I stood up and opened my arms, "Teach me" I said. Emmett grinned and ran towards me. I laughed as he enveloped me in a hug. I pushed him off, surprised that I actually could, and he laughed harder. Carlisle stood up and before I knew it, we were outside.

"The first time running can be a little trivial, Bella." Carlisle said. Alice sighed impatiently. Carlisle gave her a glare, but turned back to me. "Just follow Edward as closely as possible, and if you lose control, Jasper and Alice will be following behind you to direct you, alright?" he asked. I nodded eagerly. I was excited to learn how to run as fast as the Cullen's. "Alright, lets go. Remember, follow Edward." He reminded, and then, we were off.

At first, it felt like we were running normally. I followed closely behind Edward, but soon, I found, very easily, I had passed him. I tried to slow down and found myself next to him. The world passed by us in a dizzying blurr, but somehow, I could see the path ahead and carefully placed my steps so that I could run. I looked around and could see the Cullen family around me, very clearly. Alice and Jasper were behind me, holding hands, but still running. Alice was grinning at me and Jasper was staring at me with a shocked expression on his face. I looked over at Edward who wore the same shocked expression, but was staring ahead, not at me. I was confused. In my confusion, I became distracted and didn't see the stump until my foot caught on it. The stump was shattered, and I was sent flying across the forest. I screamed as I found I couldn't stop. I felt my body hitting trees, but they didn't stop me. I felt branches break and leaves rustle, and finally, I felt strong arms wrap around me and stop me from my flight. I gripped his arms desperately. When we landed, we landed hard on our backs, me on top of him, both of us making a dirt trail and crater with our landing. I turned to look at Edward. He smiled at me, grimacing. I quickly got off of him. He rubbed his arms where I was gripping. I could see painful looking indents where my hands were. I stared at him horrified. This is the second time I'd hurt him. He took a step towards me and I jumped back.

"Bella," he said gently. "I'm fine." He reached for me. I flinched away.

"Don't touch me!" I cried. "Alice." I said and I found her a few feet away with Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle. She came up to me, gently patting my back.

"It's okay, Bella, we all mess up on our first run." She said. I shook my head, looking at Edwards arms where evidence of my hands still resided. I cringed. He hid them quickly behind his back. Alice saw, though. She nodded understanding. "Oh." She said.

"Bella," Edward tried again, coming forward. I moved towards Jasper and Emmett. Jasper, out of instinct, moved away from me. He seemed to realize what he did, and moved back to where he was.

"Edward will be fine." Carlisle said coming towards us, he inspected Edwards's arms and then nodded. "Yes, there's nothing broken, and he seems to be okay. Don't feel guilty, Bella" He said. "Let's keep going. Run as fast as you can. I want to see how powerful you are now." he said to me gently. I gulped, but nodded. I wouldn't look at Edward. I could tell he wanted me to, and he tried to move next to me, but I moved away. I didn't want to risk hurting him again.

When we started running again, I gave it my all. I ran as fast as I physically could and I found that I left the Cullen's in the dust. I didn't know if they wanted me to keep going or not, but I did. It felt so good to run so free. I soon felt a presence behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Edward running several feet behind me, with a smirk on his face. I couldn't help but smile back. I could almost read his mind. _A race? Alright then_. I thought and picked up my speed. Edward's eyes widened as I quickly lost him, but soon he was behind me again within vision. I smiled as I felt the wind in my hair. Then I heard his voice, clear as day.

"Bella, stop." It was like slamming on my breaks. Again, I went flying, but on the ground this time, I hit all of the forest floor debris and sent stumps and tree trunks into splinters, but my body finally slammed into a boulder that shuddered at my impact, but stopped my flight. I sighed, relieved. Edward was soon at my side, chuckling. He helped me up and led me to where the rest of the family was stopped. Alice licked her lips. Carlisle looked at me.

"Okay, Bella, pay attention." He said. I looked at his dark eyes and nodded. "You have instincts. They came when Edward bit you, natural instincts that will _drive_ you towards blood." I nodded. "But you have to control that drive to the right blood. I'm assuming you don't want to drink human—" I shook my head violently. He nodded, smiling. "Very well, alright, only you have the control to choose the blood you drink." I knew all this, but I nodded silently. "Edward will show you—"

"I will not." Edward's voice cut through Carlisle's like a knife. Carlisle looked at his son and gave him a stern look. Edward shook his head slightly, his lips together. I was confused, why wouldn't Edward show me? I reached instinctively for his hand and he took mine.

"Alright, Emmett will show you what the hunting experience looks like. Try to mimic his movements, but most of it is instinct and will come to you. Everyone has their own unique hunting methods anyway." He said. Emmett came forward. I could hear Alice grumbling under her breath about how she wanted first kill and Jasper shushed her.

I could smell the deer before I saw it, it just wandered into our midst as if it didn't see us at all, but when it did see us, it was too late. Emmett was already running towards it and had broken it's neck in an instant. I saw a wild, animal-like fierceness in Emmett's eyes as he drank from the animal's neck. In a few short seconds, the deer was drained of life, drained of blood, and Emmett grinned happily, his teeth dark red. Alice 'tsk'd and Emmett wiped his mouth. Carlisle looked at me.

"Did you catch that?" he asked. I nodded. Emmett made it look easy, but I was a bit nervous about it. I squeezed Edward's hand, carefully this time. He looked at me.

"I want to see you do it." I whispered. Edward seemed to inwardly wince.

"I was afraid you were going to say that." He whispered back, " I don't want you to see that side of me yet." He said. My temper flared. I was going to see it eventually, why not now? I was about to open my mouth to argue, but he put a finger to my lips and smiled. "There's another deer coming. Shh." He said. "This one is yours." He said. I glanced nervously into the clearing where I could sense the deer approaching. I took a step forward. I already decided that I was going to break its neck to kill it, and then drink it's blood. Two steps: kill it, drink it's blood. So easy. When the young female deer came to the clearing, I heard a vague whispered "go" and I flew towards it, it saw me a split second too late. I felt something inside of me release and I growled. My instincts took over and my conscious mind was pushed back. I caught it around its neck and easily snapped it. I looked up to the Cullen's and Emmett was making motions about what I was supposed to do. I slowly pulled my hair around my shoulder and bit down awkwardly into the deer's fur. The warm blood washed into my mouth immediately and if my mouth wasn't full, I would have sighed in relief of the taste. I drank earnestly until there was no more and I let the deer carcass drop next to Emmett's. I licked the blood off of my lips and tried to wipe it off my face. I was a mess. I made a disgusted sound.

"Oh no, you don't like it." Alice said.

"You'll get used to it, Bella." Jasper said. I didn't know what they were talking about. I was still thinking about how amazingly appetizing that was. I took my place by Edward who was looking dejected. I wondered why. The rest of the Cullen family took turns feeding on deer as they wandered into the clearing. I learned that Jasper used his power to lure the deer into feeling calm in the clearing and that the Cullen's usually had a better variety of animals, but this was what they could provide for my first hunting trip. I thanked them and we began running again.

I followed Edward while we ran back to the Denali house. Tanya and the girls were out, so it was just the Cullen's. Edward and I went up to our room. I wanted to talk to him. I closed the door, still knowing that it wouldn't keep eavesdroppers out of the room. He sat down on the bed. I crawled on behind him and gently rubbed his shoulders. He smiled and closed his eyes, leaning into my touch.

"Oh I'm so glad you can do that." He moaned. I grinned, hearing the pleasure in his voice.

"Me too." I responded. The next few moments were spent in silence. "Edward," I said. He did not open his eyes.

"Mmm?" he asked.

"I'm sorry about your arms and your hand." I said quietly. He opened his eyes in a flash and turned around so he could hold me.

"Bella, my sweet Bella." He whispered holding me close to his chest, "You don't need to apologize." He said. "It's okay." I inhaled his sweet smell, it smelled even better with my heightened senses. We stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other. When Edward spoke again, his voice was hesitant. "Does blood disgust you that much?" he asked softly. I froze. _What? Disgust me? What was he talking about?_ I turned to look in his eyes that mine now matched.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Your face when you finished feeding—" then I remembered the look of disgust I had because my face was so messy. I mentally slapped myself. They thought it was because of drinking the blood.

"Edward, no." I said. "no, no, no." I almost laughed. This is what was bothering him? This is what Alice and Jasper were talking about. "I'm not disgusted with drinking blood. It was actually quite wonderful." Edward looked confused.

"Then what—"

"It was the blood all over my face. I need to work on not being so messy with it." Edward's eyes widened.

"That's it? You just didn't like the blood all over your face?" he asked incredulously. I heard Alice laugh from downstairs. I smiled.

"That's all that was bugging you?" I asked with a relieved laugh. Edward laughed as well, and nodded.

"Yeah, that was it." He said. I could tell that he was lying and I could tell that I was not going to get any more out of him. I huffed and walked out of the room. He sighed and flopped back on the bed.

I went downstairs to the living room. Alice was sitting on the couch, her legs draped over Jaspers lap, with a book in her hand. She looked up when I entered and smiled, putting her book down.

"Hey Bella." She said, " I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but." She said shrugging. Jasper chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm glad you don't hate blood either." He said. I smiled. It felt good to be able to be so familiar with Jasper. He always stayed away from me when I was human. I sat down in front of them. Esme came into the room humming a song. We all smiled at her. She clapped her hands happily.

"Who's ready to go home?" she asked happily. I looked at Alice who was smiling at me.

"I am!" Alice chimed. I smiled wearily. I wasn't sure I was ready to return to Forks. Edward was coming down the stairs.

"I would like to go home, Esme, that sounds wonderful." He said. Before I knew it, the whole Cullen family was present in the room, all agreeing that it was a good idea to return to Forks. Since they relocated to Alaska for my transformation and my first hunt, it was time to go home. I moved to be next to Edward who draped his arm casually around my waist. He looked down at me. "Are _you_ ready to go home? I suppose it is your decision." He said. I shrugged, not exactly eager to inform Charlie of my new…er…differences. Edward sensed this, and rubbed my arm.

"Is everyone ready then? Should I tell Tanya that we're leaving?" Carlisle asked briskly. Everyone nodded. Carlisle left the house to find Tanya and her sisters wherever they were.


	2. Chapter 2

Upon arriving at the Cullen's house in Forks, I was overcome with a sense of relief. It felt like home to me and I was glad to be home. Edward and I shared his room now and we went upstairs to unpack our bags. It was a strange thing, being married to Edward. It was strange because it wasn't really that strange. I had expected a major change in our relationship upon matrimony, and I was very surprised to find that the only real change was my name and the new ring on my finger. Edward pulled me into his arms as we entered the room, kissing me with a desperate hunger that he had never kissed me with before. I kissed back eagerly and we found ourselves on our bed.

"Edward, Bella, Rosalie, Emmett, would you pleas come down here for a moment?" Esme's voice echoed through the house even though she was not yelling. I got off of Edward somewhat dejectedly and we both made our way down the stairs to the familiar family room where the rest of the family was seated. I took a spot next to Rosalie. She frowned and scooted away from me, closer to Emmett. I sighed, but thought nothing more of it. Rosalie was furious with me for the decision that I made. She was dead jealous that I got the choice to 'give up my soul' as she put it, and she did not. She firmly believed that I picked wrong. Esme and Carlisle stood in front of us, and we all gave them our attention.

"Bella, we want you to get used to being around humans so you can have better experience with your resistance." Carlisle said. I nodded, completely understanding. I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder. "So, Alice is going to take you shopping." He said. I groaned before I could stop myself and the family laughed. Alice made an indignant noise.

"What a nightmare." Edward chuckled. "Would you like for me to go with you?" he asked. I thought about it. Edward would only go shopping with Alice and I if I asked him to. I shook my head.

"No darling, please don't put yourself through that." I said kissing his cheek.

"Blech." Emmett said and he and Jasper made gagging noises. I frowned and Edward laughed, embarrassed. Alice stood up and smiled brightly.

"Come now, Rosalie, Bella." She said. Rosalie, who was laughing at Emmett and Jasper, promptly frowned.

"Who said I was going?" She asked, her perfect face wrinkling in distaste.

"Yeah, what if I don't want her to go?" I asked, getting angry at Rosalie's attitude. Rosalie stood up, towering over me. I stood up too.

"Surely you mean 'what if I don't want to go?'" she asked in a growl.

"You'd think, wouldn't you?" I felt Edward's hand on my arm, but I wasn't done. "What is your problem, Rosalie?" I demanded. She tried to move closer to me, but Emmett had grabbed her arms and was standing behind her.

"_You_ are my problem, Isabella. I am already sick and tired of—"Rosalie's words were cut short by Carlisle's voice.

"Rosalie!" His voice was a growl that I knew Rosalie would not argue with. Then, he turned on me. "Isabella" he said menacingly. I stepped back, into Edward, he put his arms around my waist, protectively, but still keeping me from attacking Rosalie. "We do not fight here, and you know that, Rose." He said.

"Oh yes, Bella gets let off. She's new, isn't she?" Rosalie said angrily. Carlisle turned on her, his face was set in a snarl; Rosalie had crossed the line in talking back. She flinched and closed her eyes, turning away. She took a step back into Emmett's arms. Carlisle turned back to me, he was still very angry. I was afraid.

"I shouldn't let you go today." he said. His voice was low and he looked so much unlike the Carlisle that I knew. I nodded.

"I understand."

"But I will let you go, because you need the experience. Alice." He said and she took my arm. Rosalie, go with them." He said. Rosalie didn't dare argue with him, she squeezed Emmett's hand and followed Alice and I out of the room.

We went to Port Angeles in silence, driving in Alice's Porche. Rosalie sat in the front and I sat in the back seat, staring at the window as the world passed in a blur. I now understood why the Cullen family enjoyed driving so fast, after running at such speeds; it seemed ludicrous to drive the speed limits. We arrived at the strip mall and I could smell the humans all around me. I wanted them. Not desperately, not enough to kill one of them, but I did want them. I took a deep breath of the inside of the car, to savor the vampire scent before I was thrown out into the surrounding scent of humans, then I got out. It was a cloudy day, so perfect for us to go outside. Alice tentatively led us into the nearest shop. I felt bad for her. She was excited about taking her sisters shopping, but since our fight that left both me and Rosalie in foul moods, she simply couldn't enjoy it like she usually did.

"What do you think, Alice?" I asked holding up an absolutely hideous top to my chest. I was trying to put her into a happier mood. She smiled brightly, and then crinkled her nose.

"Absolutely not. Put it back." She said. "Now, this one, is the perfect one for you." She said and she was off. I found myself cornered in a dressing room, clothes being thrown over the door for me to try on. I found surprisingly, that Rosalie and I were the same size. Alice found this positively marvelous and so sent both of us into dressing rooms to try on countless amounts of outfits.

The scent of human blood was very recognizable and constant. I still wanted it, but I learned to push the desire back until it was almost nothing but an afterthought. It was easy, but I could tell that it was only easy because I had recently fed. If I were hungrier, the urge would be harder to resist.

Alice, Rosalie, and I went home that evening with bags and bags of new clothes. Rosalie hadn't said a word to me the whole day. I didn't mind. I was not a huge Rosalie fan. I suppose it was not a big deal that we were fighting today; we had an eternity to work it out.

That night, upon returning to the Cullen house, I hugged Alice goodnight and nodded to Rosalie before heading into Edwards room. Although vampires did not sleep, I learned that they often used this time to spend time with each other, or alone. While in the day time, they could spend time with they're family, the night was a time where they could have alone time, or time to rest. Edward admitted that he often used this time to practice piano, or watch me sleep. Tonight, I found him sitting on our bed, reading a book. He put it down and smiled when I entered, looking as if he just realized I was home. I dropped all of the shopping bags on the floor and leaped into the bed. He laughed and leaned down to capture my lips in his. I closed my eyes. His kisses continued to enchant me, even as a vampire. It absolutely shocked me at what a kiss from Edward did to me.

"Edward, when are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" I asked casually as our lips parted. He sighed and leaned away.

"Bella." He said. I sat up, confused. Why was he hiding something from me? I just looked at him, patiently. He looked back and sighed again, resigning. He took my hand and led me off the bed. "Come with me" he said and ran out of the room, I ran after him, following him out of the house and through the dark woods. I found that even through the dark, my eyes were sharper too, and I could see. Not clear as day, but as if a grey haze covered my vision. I ran next to Edward because I didn't know where he was taking me. Finally, he took my hand and stopped my gently. We hadn't been running more than a few seconds. It wasn't a graceful stop, but I didn't fly uncontrollably through the air. Edward caught me before I fell. I looked around at our surroundings.

We were in the meadow. I smiled and looked at the dark sky. The stars were visible and the crescent moon smiled down at us. Edward sat down and I laid down next to him, my head in his lap. He stroked my hair.

"It's a hard transition for me to make, Bella. Surely you can understand that." He said softly. I nodded.

"Yes. I suppose you are right." _I should have known_. "You're happy though, right?" I asked him. He smiled down at me, then leaned down and kissed me passionately. I smiled into his lips, in perfect bliss.

"I am happier than I ever remember being, Bella." He said. "Thank you." He added. I wasn't sure what he was thanking me for.

"For what?"

"For doing what you did." He paused, "for me" I sad up and hugged him. His arms wrapped around me.

"No, Edward, what I did doesn't need a 'thank you'" I said. I pulled away and looked into his eyes. "I love you" I said. He kissed me.

"I love you too, Bella."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Carlisle asked me if I was feeling up to seeing Charlie. The whole family seemed to stop what they were doing to see my reaction. I looked around at Edward, pleadingly. I didn't think I was ready.

"Perhaps another time, Carlisle," he said. I closed my eyes in relief. _Yes._ Carlisle nodded, but looked like he wanted to argue. I looked at Esme who was smiling sympathetically at me. At that moment, Alice came down the stairs formally, Jasper at her heels, looking weary.

"Carlisle," she said, "We're going to have guests," Everyone stopped what they were doing.

"When?" Esme asked. Alice looked at her.

"About two hours," she replied glumly.

"Who?" Carlisle asked this time. Alice shook her head, distress clearly could be seen on her face.

"I don't know,"

The next hour was one of the more interesting hours I have ever experienced. I tried to judge by the Cullen family's reaction to the new comers to whether or not I should be worried, but it was hard to tell. They walked around the house impatiently, but expressionless. I tried to pry it out of Edward, but he only gave me vague answers and told me to behave myself. This confused me as well. Behave myself? When did I not? Besides when I fought with Rosalie? I thought about this while the other Cullen's busied themselves with pointless tasks. Esme cleaned the already spotless house, re organizing books and photos. Carlisle sat at his desk staring into a book. He appeared to be reading it, but he hadn't turned a page in nearly ten minutes. Emmett and Rosalie set to work cleaning the garage as if the visitors would have any interest in how clean the garage was. Alice paced in the Living room. Jasper sat in the couch, staring into space, and Edward; Edward played the piano. He played song after song, countless melodies that rang pleasantly in my ears.

I had never seen the Cullen's so tense. They were usually so put together and calm, ready for anything. I suppose I could understand why they had every right to be apprehensive about the upcoming guests, because Alice didn't know who they were and couldn't tell if they meant us any harm or not.

"Edward," I said, placing my hands gently on his, stopping the song he was playing. He looked up at me. "What's going on? Should I be worried? Am I in any danger?" I asked, thinking about being a newborn, perhaps I drew the trouble to us. He gave me a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"No," he said. I was relieved immediately. Edward wouldn't lie to me so boldly like that. Then, out of an impulse, I decided to ask him another question.

"Are _you_ in any danger?" He placed his hands back on the piano keys, ignoring my question completely. I got a sick feeling in my stomach. I left him alone, going to find Esme. She would make me feel better about this, surely. Esme was cleaning the dining room, humming the song that Edward was just playing on his piano. She smiled at me. I sat down at the table.

"Are you worried, Esme?" I asked her. She stopped humming and looked down at me warmly.

"Why? Are you?" I shrugged.

"I'm not sure if I should be or not," I said. Esme laughed and patted my shoulder.

"It will all be okay, I'm sure," she said, " It just makes us on our toes when we think about unknown visitors," I nodded.

"So, there's nothing to worry about?" she shook her head, her smile fading a bit.

"That's not what I said," She clapped her hands and took off her apron. "Oh, they're here early," she still smiled, but it looked fake somehow. I followed her out to the entranceway. Then, I smelled them.

It was a sweet scent. It smelled like flowers, sickly flowers. I sniffed again and it was stronger. I cringed. It didn't smell right, and it hinted human blood. I reached behind me and found Edwards hand in mine. I closed my eyes and smiled at how comforting it was.

"Do you smell that?" he asked. I nodded. "It means they drink human blood," he said. Alice move next to me. She smiled gently.

"That doesn't mean they're bad, though," she said. I held Edwards hand. We all waited in the Entrance Way. I glanced at Rosalie. She looked at me. I surprised when she didn't look away or give me a dirty look, she just stared. I could not read her expression.

Carlisle opened the front door and revealed four figures, looming in the doorway. The one in the front spoke first. He looked about my age with pitch black hair. He had white skin and deep, penetrating black eyes that swept around the house restlessly. He was very handsome. His clothes were dark and foreign. He wore a dirty cloak. He would not have blended well in the town of Forks. I was half glad the group came directly to the Cullen house.

"You do not drink human blood? Was it wrong to come here thirsty?" he asked. His voice was different than any other vampire's voice I had ever heard. It was not a voice really. It was a hiss. I was actually shocked I understood it and I knew that I wouldn't have, had I still been human. Carlisle spoke back to the stranger in the same hissing voice that I had never heard before.

"Perhaps you should hunt in a safer area, but you must refrain here," He said. The stranger nodded once and turned to the woman next to him. She had the same hair as the man, but it was up in a disheveled ponytail. She was beautiful and she looked about thirty. A smile split her dark lips. Her dark eyes were lined in black and she also wore a grimy traveling cloak. She put her hand on the male's chest.

"We will refrain," She hissed. She glanced into the house and her gaze rested in my direction. At first, I thought she was looking at me, but then I realized that her gaze was set on Edward. I didn't like that, but I ignored it. "My name is Gizelda. This, is Henric," she said. Carlisle nodded to them.

"My name is Carlisle. This is my family," he named us in order, "Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Bella, and Edward." We each nodded as he named us. Gizelda's eyes again lingered on Edward. Henric's eyes rested on each of us as we were named.

"There is a newborn here, Gizelda," A hiss rose from behind Henric. I turned my attention to the figures standing behind Gizelda and Henric. Gizelda turned to the one who spoke. It was a girl. She didn't look older than fifteen. Her dark blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail like Gizelda's and her face was set expressionless. She also had dark eye liner and dark lips, but it did not fit her like it did Gizelda. She was remarkably beautiful. I could tell she was beautiful before she became a vampire. She reminded me of Rosalie. Gizelda motioned for the girl to step forward. She did. She was cloaked as well, but her cloak wasn't nearly as dirty as Henric's or Gizelda's. She nodded and did a slight curtsy in front of us.

"My name is Floria," she hissed, then stepped back to where she was behind Henric. Gizelda motioned for the figure behind her to step forward as well. The cloaked figure had the hood pulled over its face. When it lifted its hands to pull it back, I stopped breathing. The hands were smooth, and bony, with sharp, yellowed nails. It pulled the hood down and revealed a face. His eyes were thin slits in a smooth, bald head. His nose was small and pointed and his mouth looked human. His ears were large and pointed. When he spoke, I saw sharp, pointed teeth behind the lips and had I been breathing, I would have gasped. Edward squeezed my hand. I was very glad that I could force myself into an emotionless stance. It would have been terribly rude if I had gasped.

"My name is Dominik. It is a pleasure to meet you." He said nodding and then replacing the hood on his head.


	4. Chapter 4

"Come in," Carlisle stepped aside. The four glided into the house as if they weren't even walking. Gizelda's eyes were still on Edward. I squeezed his hand. He looked at me with concerned eyes.

"How long have you been traveling?" Esme asked nicely. "Let me take your cloaks," she said to Floria who was closer to her. Floria looked at Gizelda. She nodded slightly and Floria removed the heavy black cloak off of her back. My jaw nearly dropped when she revealed jeans and a t-shirt underneath the cloak. It was unexpected. Now, Floria just looked like a regular teenager. I knew better than that, though. Esme took Dominik's cloak as well. He was wearing a similar ensemble as Henric. He was eerily skinny. It didn't look right. I wanted to know what he was, but it would have been rude to ask in front of our guests. I held on to Edward's hand.

"Long enough," Henric said. "Who is the newborn?" he asked. His voice was commanding. Edward held me in place by his arm around my waist. Carlisle stepped forward.

"Why should it matter if we have a newborn among us?" he asked. Henric looked at Gizelda. I was beginning to wonder who the leader of this coven was, Henric or Gizelda.

"Curiosity, Carlisle." Gizelda purred charmingly. Carlisle looked as if he didn't quite believe her, but beckoned me forward anyway. I stepped up and took his outstretched hand. Edward reluctantly let me go. I knew that my face was emotionless, but inside I was trembling, terrified. The four rounded on me immediately, but I stood still, looking each of them in their black eyes.

"Bella." Henric hissed. He was not talking to me, I could tell he was only reminding them of my name. I stood there long enough; I went to take my place again next to Edward. He seemed relieved to have me so close again.

"I apologize, Gizelda, Henric, Floria, and," Edward paused before saying, "Dominic. For leaving like this, but Bella and I have a previous engagement," He announced, his usually silky voice coming out in a hiss. He bowed formally and then led me out of the house. I felt the wind blew my hair when I walked out and Edward tilted his head in a direction and we began running. I didn't let go of his hand.

When we arrived at the high school, questions spilled out of me.

"What's wrong with their voices? What is Dominic? Why do they want to know if I'm a newborn? Why should they care?" Edward laughed and put a finger over my lips. We sat down in the grass. It was a Saturday and the school was completely empty.

"They are speaking _Upiro_," he said, "It's a universal Vampire language. I actually thought it was extinct until Henric started speaking. Many vampires don't even know it exists,"

"If it's a language, how do I know it?" I asked.

"You're a vampire aren't you?" he said giving me a crooked smile. " To a human, that conversation would have just sounded like hissing," He said. He took a deep, unnecessary breath and looked away from me. "Dominic," he started, " He's a rare breed, Bella. I've never seen one before, I'm not even sure there's a name for him. But I know _what_ he is," Edward stopped speaking. I put my hand on his arm. He looked at me. "Bella you have seen what a result of vampires mating is," he said. My eyes widened and I put a hand to my mouth, horrified. I remember Edward once telling me that vampires could not reproduce like humans could.

"How?" I asked. Edward touched my hair; I lay down in his lap.

"I told you that we do not procreate like humans, do you remember, Bella?" I nodded. "Well, I did say that, however, it is not impossible for vampires to reproduce. It is a," he paused searching for the right word, "complicated process. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but I know that one of the mates cannot survive through it."

"Is it—"Edward cut me off.

"I said it was not like humans. It's not sex. That is why vampires don't typically go through with it. When vampires do choose mates, they are very earnest about keeping them alive. As you can imagine," he gestured between us. I nodded. "So, they wouldn't want to kill their mate to create a-a" he stuttered with his words, "Dominic."

"Oh my," I said. Edward continued.

"I don't know why they are interested in you being a newborn. It seems suspicious, but they have given us no reason not to trust them."

"Who is the leader?" I asked, curious. Edward looked grim.

"You noticed that too? I would have guessed Henric, but we can't rule Gizelda out, and certainly not Floria," He said. "but certainly not Dominic. I'm even surprised he has a name," I looked confused. "Creatures like Dominic have never been looked highly upon. They are never written or spoken of in history or records. They just exist and then cease to exist,"

"Death?" I was confused again.

"I think they are mortal. I'm not sure. I don't know much about them, Bella," he said again. This fact seemed to frustrate him. He didn't like not knowing something.

"What were they thinking?" I asked. At that, Edward smiled.

"Henric was thinking about how beautiful Rosalie was and that you weren't bad looking either," I smiled. "And he thought about how we didn't drink human blood and how odd it was that we had a permanent house among humans. He was thinking about how long they had been traveling and that he wanted to be sure that we were safe to trust. He wasn't nearly as interesting as Gizelda," I scooted so that I could get into a better listening position. "You noticed she didn't stop staring at me?" I nodded. "She is very attracted to me. When she first saw me, she didn't even consider the fact that you and I were together. She was thinking about me the entire time. I think she hoped that you were the newborn because newborns are easier to kill. She wanted to get rid of competition if I showed any interest in her," Edward found this very amusing. I rolled my eyes.

"You're ego's not boosted," I said sarcastically, cuddling up to his chest, he put an arm around me.

"I thought she was acting rather silly actually, not nearly her age."

"Ew, she was like, thirty." I said disgustedly. Edward laughed.

"Yes, far too old for me," he rolled his eyes. "She's actually younger than me." He said. "She's about 175,"

"You love me?" I asked looking up into his face. He smiled tenderly and kissed my lips. The kiss was passionate and loving. Edward didn't even need to respond. I already knew. I smiled. I knew that Gizelda was not a threat to me.

"Bella," Edward started after a while. We had been sitting outside the school for several hours. I looked at him

"Yes?"

"I want you to tell Charlie now." he said. My eyes widened.

"But—" He kissed my forehead.

"I know what I said this morning. Please, Bella. Just consider the circumstances," he said. "If, and I do mean if, anything were to happen to you, wouldn't you want him to know?" he asked. I thought about it, then shook my head.

"No," I lied. Edward smiled, then leaned in and captured my lips. I melted.

"Really?" he whispered into my lips. I sighed.

"No," I said relenting. Edward pulled back, smiling.

"That's what I thought," he said. "Let's go, then." He gently took my arm and helped me up. I tied my hair up in a ponytail. I found that it was easier to run when my hair was up. I sighed and looked at my husband, then nodded. I didn't think that it was the right time to tell Charlie, but Edward's logic made sense. We didn't know we were going to have visitors that morning, especially not a visitor who would destroy me if she thought I was a threat.

We found ourselves in front of my fathers house. The familiarity rushed at me like a wave. I closed my eyes and squeezed Edwards hand. He gave me a reassuring smile and I walked to the door, taking my hair down as I went, fixing it so that it covered up the crescent shaped wound that stuck out like a sore thumb on my throat.

"Do I look human?" I asked. He smiled and kissed me.

"You never did," He said charmingly. I smacked his shoulder, laughing.

"Okay, what is he thinking about?"

"Just the game and a case he is working on," he said, "it's safe."

I reached my hand out and knocked twice, loud enough that I knew Charlie would hear it.


	5. Chapter 5

When Charlie answered the door, the look on his face was priceless. It started as confusion, then surprise, then happiness. I smiled brightly.

"Hey, Dad," I said. He yelled and hugged me. I hugged him back awkwardly.

"Bella!" he yelled, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home? When did you get in? Why didn't you call me?" he asked. I smiled. "Come in! You too, Edward," he said the last part a little colder, still holding his grudge with Edward. "Do you want something to eat? How's college?" he asked. I sat down on the couch, Edward took the seat next to me. I still had a smile on my face. Charlie was still the same as ever.

"No thanks, Dad. Edward, are you hungry, _darling_?" I emphasized 'darling' just working the marriage thing into my dad. He was not excited when Edward and I announced our marriage and he only put on a happy face at the wedding. When he gave me away, he was proud, but I could still tell he was getting used to Edward as being his son-in-law. Edward shook his head.

"No, but thank you." He said, his voice silky.

"How are you?" I asked Charlie as he took a seat in the recliner across from us. He put the game on 'mute' and gave us his attention. Charlie shrugged lightly.

"I'm alright. Is school going good? How's the married life?" he asked. I smiled at Edward, grabbing his hand.

"It's amazing. I love being married, Dad." I avoided the school topic, not wanting to tell him that I was not in school. Charlie smiled.

"That's excellent." Charlie looked at us for a long time. Edward and I waited patiently for him to speak. "You look different, Bella." He said carefully, his eyes still staring at my face. "Did you get contacts?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Dad," I started. Edward gripped my hand. "I have to tell you something." I said. Suddenly, I felt like this was wrong. I felt like it wasn't right to tell my father this. It was against the vampire rules to tell humans anyway, but there was something else. I followed my instinct. Charlie stared at me, waiting.

"I dropped out of school." I said breathlessly. I sensed Edward's confusion next to me. Charlie's calm face soon turned to rage. I found that I was no longer intimidated by Charlie's temper. I sat there calmly and patiently as my father screamed and yelled himself into a frenzy about how I was destroying my future and how he would not let me make the mistake of throwing everything away for a boy. When he said that, I stood up swiftly. The motion was angry and he was silenced.

"Edward is my _husband_, Charlie," I said slowly, careful to keep my anger in check. Edward relaxed in the couch, eager to stay out of this argument. He un-muted the television so he could watch. "He is not some boy that I am running away with,"

"Did he talk you into this?" Charlie was back to yelling again. I shook my head violently, my hair shaking behind my back. Charlie's eyes traveled to my neck where the bite was still clear. I quickly covered it up, but it was too late. "What the hell has happened to you, Bella?" Charlie asked. "You let him _bite_ you? Have you turned into some kind of slut?" Those words woke Edward up. He was up in an instant, mere inches from Charlie's face. I recognized his facial expression. He was angry. I quickly put myself between them, before Edward spoke.

"Edward," I said gently, "Calm down," I turned to Charlie, "Dad that was unnecessary." I knew I could hold Edward back now, but I didn't want to have to. I firmly pushed him back towards the couch though. By the way his fists were clenched and his face was set, I knew he was still angry at my father's insult.

"We're going to go, Dad, I'm sorry." I said. Edward was soon by my side, following me out of the house.

When we were several miles away from the house, I stopped running. Edward stopped next to me.

"Why didn't you tell him?" he demanded. He was still angry. At me, I did not know.

"There was something wrong about it," I said, shaking my head and looking at him, " I don't know, Edward. There was something inside me telling me that it wasn't time to tell Charlie," I said, my voice was in wonder as I thought about it. There was no explanation. I just felt like there was something wrong about it. It was like a reflex or an instinct.

"Do you think that's odd? Was it just your conscience?" Edward sat down along the road that we were running on. I plopped down next to him.

"No, I felt almost that I would betray myself if I went against it. It didn't feel like my conscious, unless my conscious was magnified when you changed me," I said. Edward shook his head, thinking.

"Don't be silly," he mumbled, distracted. I grinned and then leaned in to nibble on his ear. He smiled and looked lovingly at me.

"But I am silly," He growled playfully and tackled me into the grass beside the road. It felt good to finally feel like Edward wasn't holding back, afraid to hurt me. I could feel his weight on top of me. I kissed him hungrily. He kissed me back just the same. We both pulled apart when we heard a car down the street. We sat by the edge of the road, unmoving. We weren't interested in going back to the Cullen's, so there we sat.

I inwardly groaned, recognizing the car. It took a few minutes for the car to actually arrive at where we were, and when it passed, I hoped that the driver hadn't seen us. However, it soon stopped and backed up to where Edward and I were sitting. I smiled politely and waved, but did not stand up. I heard Edward groan.

"Bella?" Mike called, "is it seriously you?" I decided to stand up, pulling Edward with me. Before I knew it, Mike had enveloped me in a massive hug. I patted him on the back awkwardly.

"Hey, Mike," I said, "How have you been?" Mike pulled away. I looked at him closely. He looked the same as last year at Edward and my wedding. I couldn't see any differences. He looked so happy, I couldn't help but give him a genuine smile.

"Bella, oh my god, don't you go to school in Alaska? What are you doing home?" he asked. I shrugged and took Edward's hand. He wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my neck gently. Mike just seemed to notice that Edward was there. His smile faded a bit. He held his hand out. "Hey Edward," he said. Edward gave him a friendly smile and shook his hand.

"I was just here visiting Charlie," I said. Mike nodded.

"Hey, you wanna grab something to eat? I was just heading in town—" Mike started. I looked at my watch.

"Oh no, Mike, I'm sorry," I said. "Edward and I have to be somewhere," Edward stepped up, looking at me.

"Don't be ridiculous, Bella, that can wait, we can go with Mike into town." He said. I looked at him, but gave up, smiling at Mike.

"Okay, then," I said. "I guess we can go." Mike gestured for us to get in his car and we talked lightly on our way into downtown Forks.

Somehow Edward had talked Mike out of eating and we ended up in a small shop looking at clothes for a dinner that Edward and I supposedly had to attend. I admired how smooth Edward was. It made me smile to think about how much I loved him. As I searched through a rack of bloused, I felt him wrap his arms around my stomach. I leaned into his touch. He whispered in my ear,

"What are you smiling about?" he asked, his hands sliding down my waist. My mouth came open and I gasped at his touch, but as soon as it came, it was gone and I looked behind me to find him all the way across the store, looking at hats, I saw that amazing crooked smile on his face and turned back to my rack, smiling as well. Oh, I loved him.

Several hours, and many shopping bags later, Mike told us that he had to go. He gave me one last hug and shook Edward's hand and then left. I sighed and turned to Edward, exasperated. I held up the bags.

"Was **this**," I emphasized 'this', "necessary?" I asked. He smiled, amused, then shrugged.

"I suppose not,"

"How am I supposed to run with these?" I asked. He started walking. I caught up with him.

"Carefully?" he suggested. My eyes widened and I smiled sweetly. Edward groaned.


	6. Chapter 6

We stepped into the Cullen abode carefully. I could still smell the guests and I put on an emotionless mask as I held the door open for Edward who was carrying my shopping bags. Alice met us at the bottom of the stairs.

"You went shopping without me?" she asked, her voice dejected, it was in a hiss. She must have been talking in _Upiro_ in courtesy of our guests. I smiled apologetically.

"It wasn't on purpose." I answered, trying to mock her voice. I wasn't sure if I knew the language. It appeared to work. Edward smiled, approvingly. Alice looked surprised and then pleased, but her emotion changed immediately back to disappointment. "I'm sorry, Alice," I said and took my bags from Edward's hands. He looked relieved for a moment, and then uncomfortable. I was about to question it, when I felt a presence in the doorway to the living room. I didn't need to look to know that it was Gizelda.

"Show me what you got," Alice urged, pulling me up the stairs. I stared at Edward. There was something wrong. I got the feeling again, the same strong feeling that something was wrong. I pulled back from Alice and started back down the stairs. Edward motioned for me to go back up, but I shook my head. "Bella?" Alice asked, looking between me and Edward. I pushed the feeling back. _Everything is fine_. _Just keep moving. Everything will be okay. _I told myself, as I forced my body to turn back to Alice and keep walking up the stairs. It took all the will power I had to deny the premonition of dread that I had. When I made it into Alice's room, I turned around and leaned on the door, my eyes pinched shut and my breathing labored. Alice looked at me, confused; she reached for my shoulder comfortingly. I caught her wrist in a death grip before it reached me. She gasped and pulled away.

"Don't touch me," I gasped. It was actually hurting me to resist the urge. The pain started as just a throb, but was intensifying. There was not a certain spot the pain was, it just hurt, all over my body.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, her voice was genuinely worried. I fell to my knees, my entire body was tense.

"Edward," I gasped. Alice nodded. I don't remember if she left. She must have, because immediately, the pain stopped. Then, Edward came into the room, his face was worried and he kneeled down next to me, putting his hand on my back.

"Bella?" he whispered, "Bella, look at me," he said gently. I looked up him and his gentle eyes met mine. I went into his arms and he held me, stroking my hair, gently. "What's wrong? What happened?" he asked. I swallowed and shook my head.

"I don't know," I said. I shook my head, closing my eyes again. When I opened them, I looked around. The entire family was there as well as our guests. They were all watching me with peculiar expressions. I stood up. "I'm okay," I said. Edward looked at me again. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear gently. I heard Gizelda snort. "Really, I'm fine," I would have blushed at the attention if I had been human. Carlisle stepped forward.

"Bella, I would like to speak with you in my office, Esme, Edward, you two as well." He asked. I nodded and Edward, Esme and I walked past the family to Carlisle's office. When we got there, Carlisle looked at me. He was not happy about what had just happened. "Is there something you would like to tell me?" he asked. I nodded, feeling exhausted.

"I got this feeling," I started and then told him about what happened at Charlie's and what I started feeling when I resisted it, going up to Alice's room. Carlisle listened carefully, and stroked his chin in thought. Esme sat quietly in a chair and Edward held my hand.

"Perhaps Bella has a gift. You know, like Alice and I." Edward suggested quietly. Carlisle nodded.

"Yes, I had thought of that. The question is what her gift is," There was a moment of silence. "Did something happen when Bella went upstairs with Alice?" Carlisle asked. Edward shook his head.

"Gizelda was walking towards me when Alice cam running down," he said. Edward furrowed his brow. "Trouble," he said, I smiled. _Of course._

I had figured it out. I had attracted trouble when I was a human. It made perfect sense for me to get a sense for trouble when I was a vampire. I sensed when something wrong was happening or about to happen. I looked at Carlisle and Esme and found that they weren't following Edward and my thought process. I quickly explained, Edward nodding. After a while, Carlisle agreed that Edward and I were most likely right.

That evening, the entire Cullen family planned to have a nice dinner with our guests.

"How does 'dinner' with vampires work, Edward?" I asked curiously looking in our closet for a decent blouse. Edward chose a pretty black one that we had recently bought. I took it and slipped it on.

"you'll see," he said, "Don't mention what happened today, Bella, and if you get one of those feelings again, nudge Alice and she'll tell me," I frowned at his tone of voice. He was treating me like a child.

"I'm not a little kid, Edward," I growled. He looked at me. I had never growled at him before. I don't think he liked it.

"I know that,"

"Then, don't treat me like one," I said pulling my hair into a bun. He looked at me, and placed his hand on mine gently. I looked at him, fiercely at first and then softened.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he said, " I just don't want anything to happen to you," he said. I nodded and hugged him. We just held each other. How long, I did not know, but Edward pulled back and kissed my forehead. "They are ready to begin dinner. Just follow Alice, okay?" he asked, confusing me. I nodded.

"Okay." When we entered the dining room, I gasped, hardly recognizing it.

There were no electric lights, only a candle chandelier and candelabra's surrounding the room. Several torches even lined the walls. Our guests and the rest of the Cullen Family were already there, standing, in complete silence. Edward walked with me to the open spot between Gizelda and Alice and left me to cross the room to stand behind the chair across from me, between Jasper and Henric. Carlisle was standing at one head of the table and Esme at the other end, both dressed in dark, formal wear. Esme, for the first time I had seen, was wearing make-up. She looked beautiful.

"Are we all ready then?" Carlisle asked in _Upiro_, without waiting for an answer, he continued speaking, "Please, be seated then,"

"Bella, darling, I am finding that this chair is not suiting me as it should. Would you mind terribly if we traded seats?" Gizelda's voice was smooth and silky. Edward pursed his lips and Carlisle shook his head in disbelief. She wanted to sit across from Edward. I smiled politely.

"What ever makes you more comfortable," I hissed as we traded seats. When everyone was seated, I noticed the massive goblet in front of each person. Suddenly, I understood what it meant to have dinner with vampires.

The dinner started out with light conversation about our guest's travels and all of the stops they made. Finally, the conversation got more serious.

"We are of the Gustoff coven in Romania." Floria said. She flipped her beautiful hair over her shoulder gracefully. "I am the _feminina _of the coven," I did not know what it meant, but I had a pretty good idea now at who was the leader. Floria. I looked around the table and found that Dominic was not present. It didn't surprise me by what Edward had told me about him. He must not have been invited. "I want to thank you, Carlisle for inviting us into your home. It's not often we run into vampires with such hospitality," Floria said. The way she said it, with such authority and such poise, made me wonder how old she was.

"It is my pleasure to have Madam Gustoff here in our home, Floria. You and your friends are welcome," Carlisle said. I felt Gizelda looking at me and I glanced at her, meeting her gaze. Her eyes were black as pitch. I stared at her for a bit before looking back to my left at Floria. She looked at me. I smiled

"Bella, I do hope you are feeling better?" she asked. I nodded.

"Oh yes, much better," I said, not elaborating. Floria gave me a dazzling smile and turned away.

"We are here because we are in search of another _feminina_." Henric spoke. Floria scowled.

"You did not have to mention that just yet, Henric," she said.

"My apologies, madam, but we are running out of time," Floria sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"On the contrary, Henric, time is truly the only thing we do have. But he is right, Carlisle. We are looking for a new _feminina_." She said.

"Why is that?" Carlisle asked. The rest of the family watched the two carefully. Floria seemed bored of the conversation, but answered him.

"Because I am Dominic's mother." She answered. When that drew no reaction from the family, she sat up, surprised.

"I am sorry, madam. What does that have to do with anything?" Carlisle asked. Floria laughed. Her laugh was piercing and high, leaving my ears ringing even after it was done.

"You mean, you do not know what Dominic is?" she asked. All of us were silent. She flipped her hand towards Gizelda carelessly and sat back in her chair, finally acting her age. "Gizelda, tell them my story," she said, as an afterthought, she added, "and Dominic's,"


	7. Chapter 7

Gizelda stood up gracefully.

"My name is Gizelda Elaina Gustoff. I am personal servant and maid to Madam Floria Emilina Gustoff. When this world began, humans were the first to be created. Soon after them, angels and with angels, came demons. One such demon was Luciferius Carnigus. Commonly confused with Lucifer, but not the same. Carnigus was a vampire. He feasted on the blood of humans and animals and finally, in his last days, angels. Carnigus fell in love with such a creature, her name, Hannah. She did not love Carnigus back, but he tricked her and married her and she bore a son. Soon after this, she disappeared. Now, Carnigus was a hideous monster with a grotesque face and bulky body, while Hannah was graceful, beautiful, and human-like. Their son, Noel, was beautiful like she, but with many of Carnigus's features, his eyes, and his strength. He is the beginning of the line of vampires that we are today." I looked around the room and saw that all eyes were on her, even Floria and Henric who must have heard this story many times. "Noel was a blood drinker, like his father. He also feasted on humans. No one knows how he found out, but he soon found that if he controlled himself enough to stop drinking, the human would become the monster that he was. That was how he found his first wife, Viola." Gizelda paused, and then continued. Viola was not a monster like her husband. She did not feast on humans. She learned that a vampire can survive on animal blood alone, although her husband continued to kill. One day, Viola told Noel that she wanted a child. Noel was very aware that Vampires could not reproduce like normal humans, so he went out and he found a child to bite and give to Viola to be her own. Their first child was named Floria." When Gizelda said this, all eyes turned to Floria. I suppressed a gasp. "Floria became a very powerful vampire. She overpowered her mother and began her rule beside Noel. Viola eventually disappeared from the Carnigus coven. As Floria's family grew, she always remained on top. Unfortunately, a split started in the Carnigus family when a vampire by the name of Marcus decided to start his own coven instead of live under Floria and Noel. Thus, the Volturi were formed." Gizelda paused again and then continued the story, "The story takes a twist when Floria met a man," Gizelda seemed to tense when she got to this part, "The man, she said, was made for her. She couldn't stay away from him; she wanted nothing more than to kill him, for his blood smelled so sweet." I looked at Edward. He was looking at me. _Blood singer_. "Something stopped Floria from killing him, I shall never know what, but she merely bit him and he became one of us. A vampire. The man's name was Eric. Floria and Eric had one child, a Dhampir. That is a difficult thing to do. To give their child life, either Eric or Floria had to give up theirs. Eric chose to. Unfortunately, something went wrong and although Eric's life was given to Dominic, most of Floria's was as well. Floria is now mortal and she will age and die like any other human. Noel sent us out into the world to find her replacement. Dominic," she paused. "He is a vampire, yes, but he is not one of us. He drinks human blood, but he is mortal. He does not have strength like us. He is not like us. Dhampir are not truly considered vampires." Gizelda sat down again as she finished. Floria huffed.

"Yes, that covers it accurately. Thank you, Gizelda." Floria said. Gizelda nodded at Floria and turned her attention back to Edward. Esme stood up and went into the kitchen. She came back with two massive glass bottles. I didn't need to be told what they contained. She smiled as she poured them into all of our goblets. The red liquid, thick and dark, almost black in the cup. Gizelda's eyes lit up, hungrily. I smelled that the blood was fresh. It was warm. They must have just hunted it. Whatever it was. Carlisle stood up, lifting his goblet.

"To Floria! To our guests who have traveled so long and hard and are joining us here tonight!" he announced and took a small sip of his goblet. Everyone else did the same, but as I put the goblet to my lips, a hand brought it down. Esme was standing beside me.

"Bella," she gently reproved, and took my goblet away from me. I put my hand to my chest when I realized what the goblets must have contained. Human blood. Our guests drank hungrily. My family, more reserved, almost as if they didn't like it. I knew better than that. It had been so long since any of them had human blood, I was surprised that Carlisle was allowing it to be served in his home. I froze when I got the feeling again. It crept up my back and settled in my stomach. I clenched my hands and looked at Edward as calmly as I could. Finally, he glanced at me and his brow furrowed in concern. I stared at him, hard, willing him to figure out what was wrong. Eventually, he looked around, suddenly aware that there was something wrong. Then, Rosalie spoke and the feeling diminished. This was the bad thing.

"Do you mind if I go hunting with you tomorrow?" she asked, speaking to Floria. My jaw nearly dropped. I saw the surprised look in all of the Cullen's faces, except Emmett's. He looked embarrassed. Even Floria's eyebrows rose in surprise and she looked at Rosalie who was sitting next to her. I suddenly noticed how remarkably similar the two looked. Rosalie was nineteen, so she appeared a little older than Floria, but the two, each with alarming beauty, looked like they could have been sisters. Rosalie didn't blink. Floria suddenly smiled.

"Of course, not, Rosalie. We would be honored with your presence." Floria hissed. Rosalie's lips curved up and she nodded her head. A motion that should have looked odd, but when Rosalie did it, it looked amazingly graceful. It was then that the bad feeling came back.

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I like Rosalie. I honestly do. No one hate me please.


	8. Chapter 8

After dinner, Edward and I excused ourselves to our room. As soon as the door closed, I burst out with questions.

"Was that human blood?" I asked. Edward shook his head. He looked distracted and I saw that his eyes were a dark, auburn shade of brown. It must have been the blood.

"It was the closest relative to humans, Chimpanzee blood mixed with Orangutan. It tastes so similar to humans, that Esme didn't want you to drink it and our guests were so hungry, they didn't notice the difference." He said, scratching his chin. "You thought it was human?" he asked, looking surprised. I shook my head quickly.

"I didn't know what to think,"

"Yes, we wanted our guests to think it was human. Did you understand what Gizelda said?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yes. Floria is—"

"Dying," he finished. That wasn't what I was going to say. My words were going to be 'powerful'. He looked at me.

"They want to take Rosalie." He said his voice grim and his face, grave. I gasped.

"They can't do that!" I exclaimed. He shook his head.

"Did you see what just happened, Bella? She's going to willingly go with them," he said.

"Why would she—"

"It's not a bad thing," he interrupted me again. I looked at him, my mind was spinning. "You're talking about it like it's a bad thing, Bella. It's not. Rosalie would be a queen. That's what a _feminina _is," he said. I nodded. I had guessed that. "There's a problem, though," he said. I waited. "They want to kill you," I closed my eyes.

"Great," I said sarcastically. Normally, I would have been terrified, but somehow, being in the Cullen house, I didn't feel afraid at all.

"You don't seem frightened," Edward observed, stroking my arm.

"Neither do you," Edward pursed his lips.

"Appearances aren't always correct," he reminded. I nodded and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Yes, but it's not just your appearance. It's you, AND I'm not getting that feeling," I lied. The feeling was still with me from when Rosalie had asked to go hunting. It wasn't as strong and it wasn't painful, probably because I could do nothing about it. It was because of Rosalie and hunting, not because they wanted to kill me. We heard Alice approach. She came in. I smiled at her, but she did not return it. She looked tiredly at Edward.

"I just saw Bella's death," she stated, sitting down on the couch. "They've wanted to kill her for a while, haven't they?" she asked. My husband nodded.

"Ever since they found out she was a newborn," he said and added, "and mine,"

"Why is that a reason to kill me?" I asked.

"You're a threat to Gizelda," Alice said, amused. I was shocked.

"She sees me as a threat?"

"Well, Bella, you are. She wants me, and you are what stands in her way. Floria, Gizelda, and Henric are all very good friends. They would do anything for each other's happiness. Including kill a newborn." Edward said.

"Oh," I understood. Edward looked at me for a while.

"You lied," he said. I knew what he was talking about. The feeling of dread.

"Yes," I admitted simply. There was no point in denying it. Alice gave us a confused gaze. Edward looked away from me and sighed.

"You really shouldn't do that, Bella," he said. "I want to protect you,"

"Edward, it's not your job to protect me," I said firmly. He kissed me.

"But you attract so much trouble, darling, how can I resist?" he purred. Alice and I laughed.

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A/N : I know they're getting shorter and shorter. I'll try to make the next chapter longer.


	9. Chapter 9

The next day, our guests prepared themselves to travel a long way to hunt. I was sitting downstairs in the living room with Alice when they descended the stairs. They were dressed in the clothes that they came in, ratted and worn. Floria looked glorious in jeans and a t-shirt. I had to remind myself that she was royalty. Alice and I stood in respect as they entered the room. Alice, ducking her head, and I nodded, staring intently at the ground. I had learned quickly that it didn't matter what you did, as long as you showed your respect to our guests. Floria nodded her head, giving us a valiant smile. Gizelda glared at me and I smiled at her, knowing that it would annoy her more. I figured there was no way I could get out of her hating me, so I should live it up to the best.

"Have you two seen Rosalie? Has she changed her mind?" Floria asked. There was no emotion in her voice, but I could tell he hoped that Rosalie hadn't changed her mind and that send an unexpected chill through me. I looked at Alice, deciding it would be better if I didn't speak.

"No, Rosalie hasn't come down yet. I don't think she changed her mind though, would you like me to get her?" Alice hissed. Floria smiled, showing her brilliant, white teeth.

"Yes, Alice, that would be lovely," she said. Alice ducked her head again and left the room. I suddenly realized I was alone with our guests. Floria watched Alice leave, and then looked at me; the smile was still on her face.

"Bella," she started, walking towards me. I didn't tense up immediately, if it was Gizelda, I would have been worried, but technically, Floria meant me no harm. There was no reason to be alarmed yet. I was sure also, that If they meant to harm me right now, Edward would have sensed it in their minds and would be down in a heartbeat. Besides, Alice hadn't predicted anything. I also would have felt it.

Floria gently led me to the couch. We both sat down. Gizelda and Henric stood like statues by the door. Gizelda wouldn't let her gaze leave me. I was expecting my gift to kick in anytime now. Nothing good could come out of this.

"We haven't had any time to talk since we arrived, with your," she paused, "bodyguard, keeping you from being alone." She continued to smile. I did not; there was something odd happening. "So, how do you like being a vampire so far?" she asked curiously. I smiled then.

"It's amazing." I said sincerely. She looked surprised.

"Really? You think so? If you don't mind me asking, Bella, what made you go through the transformation? I mean, surely you didn't want to," Floria said casually, leaning back into the couch cushions. Her relaxing, made me want to relax as well, but I kept my guard up.

"I did want to, actually," I said assuredly. Floria didn't look surprised at this; she wanted me to confess it.

"Did it have anything to do with Edward?" she asked. This was the part of the conversation I needed to be careful stepping. Floria was looking for a confession that I was in love with Edward. It would give her an actual reason to kill me for Gizelda. I had to give her no reason to think that I was in love with Edward. I felt the air in the room get heavy.

"Edward was responsible for me," I said hesitantly, "I went through with it because I wanted to. Alice is my best friend, you see," I explained, carefully, being aversive. I couldn't lie to Floria, I was a bad enough liar, she would see right through me. Floria looked at Gizelda, pleased.

"Please forgive me, Bella for being so forward," she said, her tone was getting an edge of frustration. I nodded, wanting her to continue. "Does Edward Cullen love you?" she asked. I nodded immediately.

"Yes," I said, "I am his newest sister—" Floria shook her head quickly.

"No, no, no," she said. I could hear the frustration rising in her voice. "More than a sister, Bella. Please, stay with me." She said. "Edward is in love with you," I sighed.

"Yes," I admitted, "But it's really embarrassing to talk about, he doesn't like not having his feelings returned." I said, again, avoiding the truth. I technically, wasn't lying. Edward didn't like having his feelings returned, it was true, but his feelings were returned by me.

Alice came down the stairs with Rosalie in tow. Rosalie was wearing her hunting clothes as well, both, were wearing emotionless masks.

"Here she is, Floria," she said. Both she and Rosalie ducked their heads. Floria smiled again and stood up, I followed.

"Good, are we ready then?" she asked, and walked towards the door, everyone following her. Soon, the hunting party was gone and I was left alone in the room with Alice. Immediately, the air in the room lightened and I put my hand to my chest. Everyone in the house came to the living room. No doubt, they were all holding their breaths listening to the conversation I just had.

Edward held me and I breathed into his chest, trying to calm my nerves. He kissed my head.

"You did magnificent, Bella," he said gently. I looked around at the family. They all looked relieved and worried at the same time. They wore weary smiles. "When I realized that you were alone in the room, I was scared at what they would get you to say," he said. I realized that my built-in feeling of dread had not kicked in. I should not have been as worried about the conversation with Floria than I was. I pulled away from Edward.

"I didn't get my feeling, Edward. You didn't have to worry," I said, kissing him. "And I'm not a complete idiot." He chuckled, but still looked worried.

"That's it, I'm never leaving your side," he said. I laughed.

"How did you know what to say?" Alice asked. I shook my head.

"I didn't." I confessed.

"I think Gizelda will be off your tail for a while." Alice said, "But not forever," she reminded. I squeezed Edward's hand. He smiled gently down at me, reassuring me that it would be okay. It was then, when Edward gave me this look, that the feeling of dread increased. It was already there from when Rosalie decided to go hunting with the Gustoff vampires, but it immediately increased, becoming a knot in my brain and stomach. Something bad was going to happen. I wasn't sure if I could do anything about it, but all I knew was that it was coming.

"I think I'm going to see Charlie today," I said. We were in our room, Edward was reading a book on the couch and I was in the closet, organizing clothes. I poked my head out to tell him this. He looked surprised, but didn't glance up from his book.

"Alright," he said, "When do you think we should go?" he asked. I came out of the closet. He looked at me. I couldn't help but notice again how handsome he was. A position as casual as sitting on the couch still made him look like a super-model. Even though I considered myself beautiful now, I wasn't nearly as beautiful as my husband, in my opinion anyway.

"Actually, I was thinking maybe I should go alone," I said. I knew he wouldn't like that. He immediately shook his head. "Edward, they went hunting. Any threat that they are to me doesn't matter until they come back. Charlie wouldn't want to see you, you know that. I'm not human anymore, it's okay," I tried to convince him gently, sitting down next to him and putting my head on his chest. He stroked my hair, and sighed.

"Bella,"

"Edward, I'll bring my cell phone. Everything will be fine," I assured.

"Are you having your feeling?" he asked me to be sure. I flinched.

"Yes, but only because of Rosalie and the Gustoff's," I said. As soon as I said 'yes', Edward shook his head again.

"No, I'm going with you," he said and I growled, knowing that it was his final answer.

We went downstairs and ran into Alice.

"Oh! I want to go!" she said in her high-pitched voice. I looked at Edward.

"If Alice goes, will you stay?" I asked. He looked at Alice with a glare. I think he was still upset about her leaving me that morning. She stared at him, pouting. Finally, Edward gave in.

"Fine, Go with Alice." He said. I kissed him.

"Honestly, Edward, I wish you wouldn't worry about me so much,"

"Until you learn how to defend yourself, I will worry about you," he said. I gave him a skeptical look.

"Yeah right," He kissed me on the forehead and then Alice and I left to see Charlie. I had a feeling that this visit was going to be much better than the last one because of the simple fact that Edward was not going to be present.

In the car, I let Alice drive. She looked at me.

"He's angry with me, you know," she said simply. I nodded.

"Yes," I said, "I wasn't exactly happy with you either," I said. She looked put out.

"I didn't have a choice, Bella," she whined, "I couldn't insult them!" she said. "I hate having guests. Everything is so formal. I feel like everything is so tense. It's just not comfortable," she said.

"I noticed that. Do we get guests often?" I asked. She shrugged.

"Not really," she said. "Maybe a couple times in a decade. It's been very unusual recently," she said talking about the coven that visited us before the Gustoffs. James, Victoria, and Laurent. All dead.

"I'm kind of hungry," I said casually. I remembered being told that newborns had bigger appetites in the beginning than older vampires. Alice looked at me sharply.

"How hungry?" she asked. I shrugged.

"We can go hunting tonight. It can wait," I said.

When we finally arrived at my old house, Alice gave me a worried glance.

"What?" I asked.

"I just saw you killing Charlie," she said casually. I gaped.

"Just now?" I asked bewildered. She nodded.

"Are you positive you don't want to go hunting now?" she said, " I like Charlie," I nodded, still shocked that I would get so hungry as to kill Charlie. I could sense Alice's unease as we went up to the door. We knocked on the front door and it took a second for my father to answer. When he saw who it was, he promptly frowned. When he saw Alice, his expression lightened, but he glared hard at me.

"Isabella," he greeted, not inviting me in. I sighed.

"Dad, please," my tone pleading with him. Finally, after a moment, he stepped aside, allowing both of us to pass. We went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Both of us, in the same tense, but relaxed positions. Charlie came in after us.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly, flipping the TV on. I sighed.

"I want to apologize," I said. He didn't look up at me. "Dad, I'm sorry I acted like that yesterday," I said. Charlie finally looked at me. He glanced at Alice who flashed him a smile.

"I didn't want you to marry him, you know," he said. I nodded, looking at the ground.

"Yes, I know. I love him, Dad." I said. A look of anger crossed Charlie's face and he slammed the remote control down on the table. I lifted my eyes to him.

"You're eighteen, Bella! You don't know what love is! You have your whole life ahead of you! You would have forgotten about the boy when you turn twenty-five!" he was yelling. I sat still on the couch, patiently waiting, I glanced at Alice. She was staring at the TV, not really watching it, I knew. I looked back at Charlie who was still yelling furiously, his face turning a bright shade of red. I licked my lips at how appetizing it looked. I pushed back the hunger quickly. I saw a vein pulsing in his forehead and something deep inside me clawed to get out. I felt my senses sharpen and venom in my mouth increase. I fought to regain control. This was my father, but I found that I couldn't. Alice tensed beside me.

"No!" She screamed as I leapt. She managed to tackle me aside onto the ground and attempt to pin me down. She looked worried, but I wasn't thinking about her. I was thinking about how I could get to Charlie. My eyes were wild, I had no doubt. I needed his blood. "Bella!" Alice's voice cut through me and she slammed me into the floor, hard. It had no affect, I struggled against her, she was weaker than me, and she knew that.


	10. Chapter 10

I struggled frantically against Alice as Charlie watched us in horror. I was a monster. I hissed and growled and thrashed. Alice couldn't hold me off much longer.

"Resist, Bella! Please!" she cried. I could hear her, but I had no control. I shook my head. "Concentrate!" I tried. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I grasped my hunger. I held my breath so that I wouldn't smell him, I closed my eyes. Inside, the fight was taking over me. I stopped struggling with Alice, going limp under her. She didn't get off. She pinned my wrists next to my head. I forced the animal back, forcing myself to deny the hunger. It was an internal battle that I could tell was written on my face. It took several minutes for me to finally regain control of myself. I opened my eyes. Alice was still sitting on top of me, keeping me on the floor, no expression on her face. I looked into her eyes.

"I'm scared," I whispered, my voice was hoarse. "What do you think?" I asked her, not trusting myself. It took another minute, but she got off of me gracefully. I stood up, looking at Charlie. His face had gone white, his mouth hung open and his eyes, filled with terror, stared at me. He took a step back.

"W-What are you?" he stuttered. I looked at the ground.

"Dad," I started,

"Don't call me that! Get out!" he yelled shakily, lifting a finger and pointing towards the front door, it was shaking. I sighed and Alice and I walked together to the door.

The drive to the park was fast. When we got out, I turned to my sister.

"I'm sorry," I said weakly. She came over to me and hugged me. I cried on her shoulder, tearless, sobs that erupted out of me. Alice just rubbed my back gently and let me cry. We hunted small game, foxes, raccoons, and some rabbits. Alice didn't eat much, she wasn't very hungry, but I was ravenous and enjoyed the meal very much. After I ate my fill, Alice and I returned to the Cullen house. Edward met us at the door with an anxious smile. He saw our expressions and his smile dropped.

"What happened?" he asked us. I hugged myself and he went to me, pulling me into his arms and looking at Alice.

"It's all my fault, Edward!" I cried. I could tell he was going over what had happened in Alice's mind. He hugged me tighter.

"This is what happens when I let you out of my sight, Bella." He said jokingly. I rolled my eyes despite myself. He was far too protective.

Several days later, the hunting party had yet to return. Edward and I were sitting in the sitting room when my feeling of dread went away. I glanced at Edward. Then, we both heard it. It was a gasp. It sounded like Alice. It was so faint, we weren't sure we really heard it. We both shrugged and went back to our separate books. Suddenly, Jasper's voice burst through out the house.

"There's something wrong." He said. Edward and I were up in a flash. Esme, Emmett, and Carlisle were already on their way up the stairs to Alice's room. We followed. I was confused. My feeling of dread was gone, what was wrong? We found Alice sitting on her hot pink couch, staring intently at the opposite wall. Nothing could be read on her face. Jasper was kneeling next to her, gripping her hand, his face locked onto hers intently. What was going on?

"She won't snap out of it," Jasper said. His voice was firm, but worried. Carlisle kneeled next to Alice and Jasper.

"How long?"

"Longer than usual, I tried to wake her, but she won't come out of it," Carlisle hummed in thought.

"What have you tried?"

"I just nudged her shoulders and patted her cheeks. I don't want to do anything rash," Jasper said. Carlisle nodded. I looked at Edward, worried.

"What's wrong?" He glanced down at me and then focused his attention back on Alice.

"Alice isn't coming out of a vision," he whispered.

"That's bad?" I asked. My confusion was evident. He nodded.

"Yes, it is something to be worried about,"

"I had a feeling," I said. Edward turned on me, his face was angry.

"You didn't tell me?" he asked. His anger triggered mine.

"And even if I did? What would you have done?" I yelled. "That's the thing about all this, Edward! Even when I have the feelings! There's nothing you can do about it!" My voice was crying, although no tears fell from my eyes.

"Edward," Carlisle said, his tone was a warning. Edward looked at Carlisle and back at me, when he saw my distress, he immediately softened. We both walked out of Alice's room to ours, knowing that we needed to talk.

"I just wish I could understand what I'm feeling," I said, putting my head in my hands. Edward paced the room slowly.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," he said.

"I'm sorry too," I gulped and held my hand out to him. He came to me immediately, squeezing my hand in his and sitting next to me on the couch.

"You're new to this, Bella, you can't expect to understand everything in just the first several days. Our guests really have terrible timing," Edward said softly, comforting me as best he could. I was frustrated. The feelings of dread that I felt only happened when something bad happens or was coming, how could they sometimes be prevented and sometimes not be? Why did it hurt me to deny it that single time that I did? Would I ever understand what was happening to me? I growled and slammed my fist into the sofa cushion. Edward just sat next to me as I leaned my head on his shoulder and sighed.

Nearly an hour later, we heard a commotion coming from Alice's room and we both stood up and went to see what was happening. Alice had broken out of her trance finally, but her health was questioned.

"What's wrong with her, Carlisle?" I asked in a whisper. Everyone looked at the leader of the coven as he shook his head.

"I don't know, Bella. Everyone- Jasper, please- step back away from her," he said. Everyone did so, Jasper more reluctantly. Alice was not unconscious, we could see her dark eyes now moving, looking around the room, but she lay in a stiff position, flat on the floor. Her face was wild, and almost angry. Her head snapped to us in an instant. No one dared move. Her expression was not one we had ever seen on Alice before. I felt Edward grab my hand, protectively. A flicker of anger passed through me. I was getting very sick of Edward constantly protecting me. I was not a weak little human like I used to be. I was a vampire now. He didn't have to protect me all the time. My attention focused back to Alice. She was just lying on the ground, I saw her body suddenly go limp and her eyes drift closed. She was unconscious. Jasper ran to her.

"Oh no," Edward whispered. I looked at him; my confused face begged him to tell me more about what was happening.

"I think we're going to go back to Tanya's," Carlisle's voice was firm and clear in the room. Esme and Emmett looked grave as they nodded. Again, I looked at Edward, confused.

"Will someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?" I exclaimed frantically. Carlisle glanced at me, and then focused his attention back to where Alice was laying in Jaspers arms.

"Bella, if you find out what's going on, it would be lovely for you to inform the rest of us," he said quietly. My eyes widened. _No one knows what's happening. _


	11. Chapter 11

My feeling of dread increased significantly when I learned that the Cullen's were desperate enough to go to Alaska to try to figure out what was going on. It no doubt had something to do with our new arrivals and somehow it all tied into Rosalie leaving and Gizelda wanting me dead as well, but none of it made any sense together and I knew that I wasn't the only one confused. Alice was still unconscious, Jasper held her in his arms as we all got into our cars. It was too last minute to look for a flight right now, we would have to drive there.

"What if Rosalie and the Gustoffs' come back?" I asked Edward as he held the door open for me. I got in the car. He shrugged.

"They'll find us, I'm sure. We're not staying at Tanya's, actually, I'm not sure it's necessary for all of us to go."

"If that's how you feel, Edward, you can stay," Carlisle said coming into the garage. Edward opened my car door again and I stepped out.

"You should ask Bella if she wants to stay before assuming that she does," Esme scolded. Edward rolled his eyes in such a way that I almost said that I would go with the family, but I looked at him with a hard glare.

"I will stay with you," I said stalking into the house, alone. Edward sighed and I heard him talking to Carlisle. I ran up the stairs to our room and I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Emmett lying on the floor in the hallway, his eyes were closed and he looked unconscious. His hands were wrapped around himself and his knees were tucked in as if he was in pain before he lost consciousness. I screamed.

Edward was next to me in a flash and he gathered me in his arms, turning my face away. Carlisle and Esme were next and with worried expressions, lifted Emmett and carried him down the stairs gently. I buried my face into Edward's chest, in a desperate attempt to get what I just saw out of my head, but to no avail, and the burning in my chest began as the feeling of dread was continuing to increase.

"We're leaving now, Edward." Carlisle's voice came from downstairs. Edward looked down at me and gently tilted my face to look up at his. He kissed my forehead.

"I want you to go with them," he said.

"No," my answer was immediate and firm. He looked at me, hard.

"If I go—" I put my hand over his mouth, stopping his words.

"This is my home. I am staying here whether you stay with me or not," I said. He looked flustered but called down to Carlisle that we were still staying. Carlisle said his goodbyes and soon, we heard the cars drive away and we were alone. I leaned my forehead on Edward's shoulder. Edward surprised me by scooping me up and carrying me to our room.

"We didn't get a honeymoon," he growled. I smiled and laughed.

"Edward!" I cried as he threw me ungraciously onto our bed and jumped on top of me, a mysterious glint in his bright topaz eyes. I growled playfully pushing him off. He wrapped his arms around my waist, dragging me back. He nuzzled my neck and I sighed, closing my eyes, letting his touch take over me. I leaned into him and kissed his lips fiercly. Now, was not the time to be romantic. So much chaos was happening around us, and here we are, acting like lovesick teenagers in Edwards bedroom. I shook my head gently. I didn't want to think about it. Edward kissed me back, hungrily and his hands were tugging at my shirt. I moaned. I was about to reach for Edward's shirt as well when he froze. I opened my eyes and looked at him. He pulled away and sat back on the couch stiffly. He closed his eyes.

"Bella," he managed in a choked voice, he was shaking. I went to him and gripped his clenched fists.

"I'm here! What's happening?" I exclaimed. He opened his eyes, black as night, just like Alice's. But hadn't they just been a bright gold? I dismissed the thought as he closed his eyes again, clenching his teeth. Everything in his body went rigid. Then he went limp, his body fell off of the bed and he lay on the floor, unconscious. "No!" I screamed jumping off of the bed. I lifted him up and carried him to our car, easily.

My chest was hurting with the sheer agony of my "feeling of dread" as I drove. The raid pelted the windshield as Edward lay sprawled in the backseat. Panic overwhelmed me. I didn't know the way to Tanya's. I pulled out my cell phone and called the first number I thought of, Alice's cell phone. Jasper answered.

"Hello?" he asked, strained.

"Jasper!" my voice was desperate, I knew, "its Edward!" I managed to gasp. I heard Jasper curse.

"Bella, you need to do something. Listen to me, Is he unconscious yet?" he asked.

"Yes,"

"Trust me, break his finger," Jasper said. My mouth dropped. _What the hell…_

"What?!" I yelled incredulously. "That's ridiculous!"

"Bella, please, just do it and tell me what happens," Jasper said. I sighed furiously and turned to the backseat, grabbing Edwards cold white hand. I firmly grasped his index finger.

"How?"

"Rip it off," Jasper said hurriedly. I rolled my eyes. This was stupid.

"What the hell is this supposed to do, Jasper?"

"Do it, damn it, we don't have time to explain, Bella," Jasper snapped. My foot continued to keep the gas pedal on the floor as I snapped Edward's finger off of his hand. The result sent my gag reflexes moving. Edwards hand began leaking a sticky black substance that squirted all over the car. I wrinkled my nose as the smell hit it. It smelled familiar, but bitter, like sickly flowers. It didn't smell right. I knew something was wrong with this. Vampires didn't have blood. Whatever the black substance was, it wasn't supposed to be there.

"What the hell?" I asked in an astounded whisper.

"What happened, Bella?" Jasper's voice was urgent. I regained my composure, dropping Edward's finger on the passengers' seat and staring at the road. I swallowed.

"Um, black sticky stuff," was all I managed into the phone. Jasper groaned.

"Is Edward awake now?" he asked. I glanced into the back seat and was astounded to see Edward sitting up. His eyes, staring blankly at me, black as night.

"He seems to be,"

"Give him the phone," Jasper said. I sighed frustrated in confusion and tossed the phone into the backseat at Edward. I was surprised to see that It hit him before he caught it. Edwards reflexes were extraordinary. He picked it up and held it to his ear, not saying anything. After a moment, he handed the phone back to me and I held it up to my ear, pulling it away immediately when I noticed that it was covered in the black sticky substance.

"Ugh," I said, but held it up again.

"They were poisoned, Bella." Jasper said.

"What?" I asked.

"They were poisoned. We were all supposed to be poisoned. I'll explain it to you when we meet," he said and gave me a location a little north of Washington that we were to meet.

I pulled the eclipse slowly into the drive that Jasper instructed me to and I parked next to Emmett's and Carlisle's cars, in front of a small cottage that I didn't recognize. I got out of the car, stepping into the rain. I opened Edward's door hesitantly, taking his arm and taking him out of the car. I soon found, he wasn't interested in walking. His black eyes stared blankly into nothing as I gently pulled him onto my back. I grabbed his finger off of the seat and walked into the cottage, still baffled at how ridiculous this all seemed. Jasper and Carlisle took Edward off of my back as I entered and laid him down on the carpeted floor in another room next to Alice and Emmett. I noticed that Alice and Emmett were also missing fingers and also seemed to be awake, their black eyes staring unseeing into space. I looked at Carlisle. He had black stains on his shirt as well as Esme and Jasper. I held up my black, sticky, fingers.

"What is this? What is going on?" I was angry. I tried to control my temper and remain respectful, but I was having trouble. Carlisle rubbed his hands together and sighed.

"On our way to Alaska, I remembered a legend I heard when I was still living in Europe. It was about a poison that could kill anything, including vampires. I thought it was a myth, so it didn't register when Alice became ill. Apparently," he motioned at the three bodies on the ground, "It was not a myth, our family was poisoned, no doubt by our 'guests'," Carlisle explained, I held up my hands again.

"What _is _this, Carlisle?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Bella, but I don't know," I made a frustrated noise and turned to punch the wall. My fist collided solidly with Jasper's hand. He chuckled, letting me go.

"You have quite a temper," he said. I glared and threw Edward's finger at him.

"I wonder why," I said sarcastically as he caught it.


	12. Chapter 12

We had been at the cottage for three days. Edward, Emmett and Alice were slowly healing. Carlisle informed us that the poison was probably leaking out of their systems by the wounds in their fingers. Soon after we arrived, he left to find out more about the poison. I looked on worriedly. I felt Jasper's presence next to me; he put a hand on my shoulder.

"You need to hunt," he said quietly. I looked at him and then shook my head, although I knew he was right, I was famished.

"I can't leave him," I said.

"Bella, don't be ridiculous," he said. "I'll go with you," I hesitated, looking back at Edward's blank face.

"Perhaps if they ate something—" I suggested.

"We should wait until Carlisle returns," he said. I nodded. He was right. I sighed.

"Alright, let's go," I said walking towards the door, Jasper in tow.

I couldn't keep my mind in focus the whole time that Jasper and I hunted. I could only think about Edward and what would happen to him if Carlisle didn't find help and there was no cure. If I lost him, my world would end. After hunting, Jasper and I returned to the cottage. Esme was there waiting for us when we returned and she told us that they still had not moved. I sat by Edwards body, his blank, black eyes, staring into the ceiling; I wondered what was going through his head right now, if anything. Was he scared? Was he curious? Was he even conscious? I sighed and put my head in my hands. At the movement, Edwards head tilted slightly towards me. I stared down at him. All of them had been responding to motion and small touch, but nothing more than a head tilt or a blink of an eye. I wanted to know how our guests failed to poison the entire family. How did they manage to only poison Edward, Alice, and Emmett? Why weren't Jasper and I included as well? And Esme and Carlisle? So many questions ran through my head.

I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice Jasper sit next to me on the couch. I glanced at him, then back at Edward.

"He'll be okay," Jasper said awkwardly. I looked at him, frowning.

"You don't know that," I snapped unintentionally. Jasper shrugged.

"You're right," he said, " I don't," Jasper and I sat there for a long time. I estimated days until finally, we both looked up, hearing my phone chirp. I sighed imagining it to be Charlie or Renee. I didn't want to talk to them right now, but I flipped my phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Bella, put me on speaker phone so I can talk to all of you," Carlisle's voice was sharp, and I did what he asked and called Esme into the room. "They need water. They need lots and lots of water. Take them to Carson lake and make them drink. I want them to drain it," Carlisle said, "The poison in their bodies needs to be washed out. We think that water will work," he didn't specify who 'we' was but I looked at Jasper and Esme who nodded.

"Alright then," Esme spoke firmly. "When shall we expect you home?" she asked. Carlisle sighed.

"I don't know," he said, "We're discovering new things about this poison every second, however it often contradicts itself. It kills but it also gives life, it hurts, but it also heals. It's impossible to determine what it actually is," I didn't want to hear anymore. I went to Edward and picked him up effortlessly, his body bending awkwardly in my arms. I heard a couple snaps of his bones stretching. His eyes opened wider and stared at me unnervingly.

"Are they," I asked, "conscious?"

"No," Carlisle answered, "They're not even truly alive, Bella. They are empty shells. The poison has eaten away at everything inside them, notice how sickly they look? They've lost a lot of weight? That's the poison eating their bones now, it has already attacked their organs," Carlisle said. I flinched noticing how flimsy Edward was in my arms. His once chiseled body was now scrawny and weak. Then I remembered the snapping sounds and noted his awkwardly placed limbs. The snapping was his bones breaking. I nearly gagged.

"Don't stop, Bella, just keep going. I'll get Emmett," Alice and Emmett were soon in Jaspers arms, also looking as flimsy and fragile as Edward. As both of us ran to the lake, I couldn't help but doubt Carlisle when he said there was nothing left inside of them. The way Edward's eyes stared at me and how they reacted to the pain of his bones breaking; I was pretty sure Edward, my Edward, was still in there somewhere.

Carson Lake was not big, nor was it small. Jasper eyed it warily.

"It will be hard to explain, draining it." He commented, stepping into the water, Emmett and Alice in his arms. I followed him in.

"Drain it? They're going to drink all of it?" I asked. Jasper and I looked at each other. Jasper took a step more and uncerimoniously dumped Emmett into the water, so he could lower Alice in carefully.

"I don't know. They'll drink until the poison is washed out I guess," he said. I gently lowered Edward into the cold water. He submerged, his black eyes still staring, his mouth, open, I saw that he was gulping in the water. I glanced at Alice and saw that she was as well. I sighed and shook my head. Was this even going to work? What if the poison did not drain? What if this was all futile?

After several hours, the sun began to set. I looked up into the twilight sky. What happened to Rosalie? Did she know what was happening to Emmett? How would she react if she did know? Thinking about Rosalie at the moment infuriated me. She had never liked me and she was jealous of me when I was human. When I became a vampire, it was nothing but arguing and glaring. Look what was happening to her family! She wasn't even here to be with them! I growled low. Suddenly a feeling of patience coursed through me. I glanced at Jasper in the darkness. He was looking at me. He thought I growled out of impatience.

"It's Rosalie," I said quietly. After a moment, I felt calm. I nodded my thanks. "Why isn't she here?" I asked. Jasper shrugged. We moved towards the middle of the lake together. The three were draining the water at an alarming rate. I wanted to know what was happening to the water. No way could they store it in their bodies. I dismissed the thought and looked back at Jasper. He seemed to think about it.

"She may not have a choice to come back," he suggested. I nodded, knowing he was right, but not wanting to believe it. I wanted to think the worst of Rosalie. I wanted to blame her for this. I wanted to blame her beauty, blame her attitude, just blame _her_. This was all her fault. If they didn't want her to be their new _feminina, _there would be no problems. I wouldn't have the fear of losing my new husband and neither Alice nor Emmett would be in this situation either.


	13. Chapter 13

By morning, the lake was dry as a bone. Dead and dying fish flopped desperately on the moist ground. Edward, Alice, and Emmett looked nearly the same as they had before, pale, weak, and lifeless, but something about them seemed different. Jasper and I approached them. I gasped.

"Are they—", I stuttered. Jasper took my hand and I squeezed in horror. "No!" I said. He gently knelt next to Alice. Her face was different. Her eyes were closed. She was asleep. There was a hint of pink to her cheeks and red in her lips. Emmet looked the same. His skin, although still pale, had hints of red to them, some color, and Edward, I fell to the ground beside him and put my head to his chest. I could hear his heart beating.

Jasper motioned with his head to the edge of the lake. I followed him away.

"How can this be?" I asked in an urgent whisper, afraid to speak aloud. Jasper frowned.

"I don't know," he said, "We'd better get them back to Esme before they wake up," I nodded. He was right. I felt a chill go down my spine as the bad feeling left my body. I didn't know what to make of it. I didn't want to think about it. I only wanted to concentrate on my husband. Jasper and I gently carried our now human siblings back to the cottage, careful not to disturb them enough to wake them up.

Esme cried tears of joy as Jasper and I placed them back on the now clean floor in the living room. She was just glad they were alive. I wanted to say the same, but fear filled me as I realized that I was the vampire now, and Edward was the human that needed protecting.

"Both of you go out into the woods, do a parameter check, destroy anything suspicious," she said in an official voice. "We could be in danger," Jasper and I nodded and wandered out into the woods. His expression showed that he was very nearly as disturbed by the chain of events as I was.

"You alright?" I asked, my voice shakily betraying my fear. Jasper looked at me.

"I don't know," he said, completely emotionless. I nodded and took off, he did the same in the opposite direction. I let the woods stream by me in flashes, carefully watching the trees and forest for anything that looked out of place, anything that anyone could use against us in a fight. I stopped, finding a deer that looked apitizing. After I had fed, I looked up to find I had stopped at a run down hunting shack.

"Jasper," I called gently, sensing he was only a mile away from me and would hear me. I approached the shack, my senses, hyper-aware. I didn't smell anything unusual, but that didn't mean anything. Jasper was there by my side in a flash. "Anything in there?" I asked him. He stared and then shook his head,

"No, probably not, but we should destroy it anyway," I nodded. He walked over to it and ran in a circle around it. I heard him hit the wooden exterior six times and then he was again, by my side.

The wooden shack fell to the ground in a crumbling heap. I stared at him.

"How did you do that?" I asked, bewildered. He smiled sheepishly.

"It's all in the architecture, really, finding the points of balance," he explained, "but I don't expect _you_ to know anything about balance," he added. It took a moment for the joke to sink in.

"Hey!" I protested as he guffawed at my hesitation.

We made our way back to the cottage to tell Esme about the shack. We were greeted at the door, by a smiling, waving, Alice. Jasper froze, his expression blank. Alice ran to him and lept into his arms. He caught her gently and I heard his breathing stop. He didn't want to hurt her. I smiled when I saw Alice awake and rushed into the cottage. Esme was no where in sight. In the living room, sat Edward and Emmett, by the fireplace. Edward glanced up at me and stood, his crooked smile flashing. Even as a human, he was gorgeous. I ran to him and gently, remembering his fragility, hugged him. He hugged me back fiercely.

"Oh Bella," He said, and kissed my hair. A whiff of his scent filled my nose and I threw myself away from him, choking and gagging with the effort to not breathe. He was _so_ delicious. He looked at me and then down at the ground. He smiled humorlessly, and waited patiently for me to compose myself. I held my breath and went again to him.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly. He nodded.

"I am perfectly fine," he said, He looked down at his hands again, "It's a curious thing, though, really," he said. I smiled grimly.

"What?" I asked.

"Being human again,"

"I can feel this fire," Emmett said quietly. I looked at him. He wasn't talking to anyone in particular, he was just sitting in a chair by the glowing fireplace. In his hands was a cup of hot liquid. Probably coffee.

"Where is Esme?" Edward asked. I cocked my head. She was supposed to be here. Jasper and Alice came into the room. Alice hugged me and I hugged her back.

"It's so good to have you back," I mumbled.

"What happened to us?" Edward asked Jasper. Jasper closed his eyes and bowed his head, "Forgive me," he said and ran out of the cottage.

"Hungry, hungry, hungry," Alice said. I nodded, thankful that I had stopped for that deer.

"Do you want to explain this, Bella?" Edward asked gently, holding up his hand. I flinched seeing that one of his fingers was missing.

"I can only tell you what I know, which isn't much at all," I said. I had their full attention.

After I had explained the entire story about the poison, Edward looked deep in thought. He began to pace. Alice's stomach rumbled. I turned to her.

"Do you want me to get something for you guys to eat?" Edward waved his hand at me absently.

"Where is Carlisle?" he asked.

"I don't know," I replied. Everyone looked at me.

"This is all very peculiar," Alice said in wonder, staring down at her hands. "Alice doesn't remember being human," she said. A moment of silence passed.

"Alice?" Edward asked, "Did you just talk in third person?" Alice glanced up from her hands and stared strangely at Edward. "Alice doesn't know what you're talking about," she then went to the window and began drawing small circles on the glass with her index finger. She hummed a soft song to herself as she drew.

I stared at her and then to Edward and Emmett. Emmett shrugged but Edward was still looking at Alice.

"Is she ok?" I whispered. Edward replied.

"Do you remember what little we do know about Alice's life?" he asked. I nodded and stared at Alice. She was in an asylum. Perhaps as a human, Alice was insane.


	14. Chapter 14

"Alice?" I asked gently as I approached her. She turned to me. "Do you want to ride the pretty car to get some food?" I paused after each word and kept a smile on my face. After a second, Alice burst into laughter.

"Oh Bella, I'm supposed to be crazy, not a toddler!" she cried through her giggles. Edward sighed in frustration and turned back to the fire. Emmett laughed along with her and I smiled, relieved.

"Not funny, Alice," I said. She giggled some more.

"Oh but you should have seen your faces, 'Alice doesn't remember being human'" she mocked her own voice. Edward flipped open his cell phone and held it to his ear.

"Carlisle," he said in one word. I could hear Carlisle's voice from the other line. Alice and Emmett couldn't.

"This is so frustrating! How could you stand it?" Alice asked. "I can hardly hear a thing and I can't see either," she complained. I shushed her and rolled my eyes.

"Edward? What's going on? Are you alright now? How are the others?" Carlisle asked urgently. Edward hesitated before saying,

"We're human, Carlisle," Carlisle was silent for a moment.

"Another contradiction," he sighed to himself. I could hear the weariness and anger in his voice. "I have to go, Edward, just stay at the cottage for now," and he hung up. Edward slammed his phone closed and spun around. Fury was etched on his face. He took a moment to relax himself and inhaled deeply.

"It'll take me a while to get used to these silly human emotions," he said with a slight smile. I grinned back, glad that he was joking with us again. His stomach rumbled. "About that food, Bella?"

I drove the porche to the nearest town, four hours away, even driving as fast as I did. I bought enough food to feed a small army and brought it back to the cottage. Jasper and Esme were back from hunting and were glad to see me.

"I didn't know what you guys wanted, so I got everything there," I said. Alice chirped gleefully and ran to the car to unload the food. I noted that Jasper kept his distance from her, not trusting himself to be able to keep her safe.

"Don't be silly, Alice, we can get it, you guys need to save your strength," Esme insisted, and Jasper and I grabbed all of the bags from the car. Emmett looked put out, and Edward wouldn't look at us at all. I wondered how the fact that they weren't strong anymore, affected them.

I sat with Edward that night as he lay down to sleep and he held my hand.

"How does it feel to be on the opposite side?" he asked in a whisper. I heard the weariness in his voice. I smiled down at him.

"It's interesting," I said. "I'm not sure I like it though."

"Why not?" he asked, "I'm not good enough anymore?" He was joking, but I felt the pain behind his words.

"Edward, never think that," I said gently, "You are everything and more than I ever could have asked for," I kissed his hands, his missing finger. "Even human," He smiled sleepily and yawned.

"Why don't you like it, then?" he asked.

"Because you're going to die," I said simply. I didn't want my Edward to die, it should have been obvious to him. Edward soon fell asleep, but I sat next to him, watching, protecting.

Carlisle returned to the cottage that evening. We were glad, but surprised to see him. His whereabouts continued to be a mystery to Jasper and I. He checked on Edward, Alice, and Emmett and after concluding that they were healthy, we beckoned Jasper, Esme, and me to join him outside.

"We knew that the poison destroyed vampires if left untreated. The natural instinct is for the vampire to drink blood, of course, but blood reacts with the poison in a most devastating way," he explained, "Water, on the other hand, feeds it. The poison absorbs the water, and disposes of it so fast, that it ends up disposing of itself in the process,"

"But what about them being human again?" I asked.

"The poison, must have altered something in their DNA, changed it somehow to make the vampire part of them go away. I'm sure no vampire has ever survived it before. It's in a way, a cure," he said. Esme gasped.

"Why didn't we get it?" Jasper demanded. Carlisle looked at him and then me.

"I don't think it was meant for just Emmett, Edward, and Alice. I think it was meant to kill all of us. I think that they made a mistake, " Carlisle said.

"Why?" My voice was louder than I expected and Esme shushed me.

"To steal Rosalie. To give her nothing to come home to,"

"How did they poison them?" Esme asked. Carlisle looked strained.

"Dominic,"

All the information sent my head spinning. Dominic did this to Edward? He tried to kill all of us? I was back in the cottage now, sitting next to Edwards sleeping form. Jasper was sitting beside me, next to Alice. We sat in silence for a long time.

"I want him to change back," I said quietly. Jasper knew I was talking to him.

"What if he doesn't want to?"

"Why wouldn't he?" I asked, baffled.

"Bella, when you reach a certain age, knowing you're not going to die, you _want_ to be mortal again," he said calmly, "It's Rosalie's dream," I had known that, and Jasper's words made sense.

"Would he want me to take the poison?" I asked. Jasper paused.

"Yes," he answered, "but he would never ask that of you," I nodded. I had known that already, deep in my heart.

"What do we do now?" I asked. Jasper shook his head and remained silent. I stared down into Edward's sleeping face again.

At dawn, Jasper and I went hunting. I returned before him and saw Alice sitting on the front hood of her car, she was staring at her hand. I smelled the blood before I saw it, and I closed my eyes in the sheer intoxication that washed through me.

"Oh," Alice gasped softly, seeing me standing in mid stride, with my eyes closed in concentration. My throat and nose burned. "I'm sorry, Bella," I winced and shook my head quickly.

"No, you're fine," I managed to gasp. She covered the wound on her hand quickly, which immediately helped my urge. I didn't dare breathe, but gave her a questioning look. She glanced away from me sheepishly.

"I've just never bled before. I wanted to know, you know," she said quickly. I nodded, understanding.

"It's fine, Alice," I said.

"It hurts," she said in a distant voice. I smiled.

"yeah, it does," I responded, using the last of my air supply. She grinned.

"This is cool," She skipped away from me into the cottage and I began breathing again. The scent of her blood still lingered, but it was at least bearable.

Edward was on a hike, Esme told me. I followed his scent to a nearby stream. He was sitting next to it, just staring into the water. He looked so beautiful in the sunlight, streaming through the thick trees in shadowy patterns onto the forest floor. He didn't hear me approach and I surprised him. He smiled and relaxed when he saw my face.

I leaned into him and kissed him softly. He kissed me back, but pulled away.

"Bella, I need to talk to you about something," he said, looking back into the water. His voice was somber and his expression indicated that this "something" was very serious. I sat down on the soft, earthy ground and Edward sat beside me. I could feel his warm skin on my arm and I pulled away from his touch, not wanting him to get cold.

"What is it?" I asked. He looked at me.

"You're going to have to change me back," The words hadn't even completely left his lips before I answered him,

"No,"


	15. Chapter 15

His expression was immediately angry. He had already known what my response was going to be.

"Bella—"

"No," I cut off his words. This seemed to anger him even more. "Let me tell you why, Edward," I said gently. My softness seemed to relax him slightly. He sighed and then motioned for me to continue.

"This is what you want," I motioned at his body, " and I will not take it away from you. I will not make you live forever for my own selfish desires," De ja vu swept over me and I remembered Edward saying nearly the same thing about my own choice to become a vampire. Edward seemed to remember as well and he smirked.

"I don't know, selfishness seems to be the popular choice these days," I rolled my eyes.

"That's different. You have already been a vampire. This is an opportunity that may not come again. I don't want you to let it slip by," He took my hand and held it in his.

"Bella," he said. I looked into his hypnotizing green eyes and stared at him intensely. He needed to know how serious I was. " I want to be with you," he said. I leaned my head and captured his lips with mine.

That evening, I went to Carlisle.

"What happens next?" I asked. Jasper appeared beside me, waiting for Carlisle's response. He did not answer immediately.

"We have to find Rose," he said. I had suspected he would say this. Rosalie was a part of this family and we had to at least try to get her back.

"What if she doesn't want to come with us?" Jasper asked. The thought hadn't occurred to me. I was surprised Jasper had even said it, but then I remembered that Rosalie went hunting with our guests willingly. She had _wanted _to go with them.

"She must," I said. Jasper and Carlisle looked at me as if to ask, _why?_ It should have been obvious, "Emmett," I said simply. They nodded. I knew that both of them had forgotten that he was still here. His presence was less appreciated when he was human. Jasper still looked dubious when we left the cottage to hunt. Carlisle and Esme stayed behind.

"You think she won't come back because he's human," I said, trying to guess what he was thinking. He didn't respond. "Jasper,".

"It's hard to predict how she would react," he stated, not answering my question. We hunted in silence, but lingered in the woods before heading back.

"Is it hard for you?" I asked. He knew that I meant being so near Alice when she was human. He stood, motionless near a tree.

"Yes," he said, "But I won't hurt her," he insisted.

"I know that,"

"I want her to change back," he said. I could hear the shame in his voice, how it agonized him to say such a selfish thing. I nodded, understanding. I wanted the same for Edward, but I could never let him do that for me.

"Does she want to?" I asked.

"She talks about it, but I can feel that she's lying. I can feel her nervousness and her fear when she talks about changing back. She doesn't want to,"

"I'm sorry," I said. He smiled grimly.

"You don't have to be. Edward wants to change back for you. You're lucky," I let out a loud, sarcastic snort, very un-vampire like.

"Right, _lucky_. Edward wants to give up the life that he wants all because of _me. _I see how lucky I am," Jasper rolled his eyes.

"How can you complain? It's exactly what you want,"

"I want what he wants, and he doesn't want this," Jasper said nothing and we both ran back to the cottage.

Carlisle was waiting for us outside.

"Alice and Edward are going tomorrow," he said. The feeling of dread swept over my body. Jasper and I immediately began to protest, but he cut us off. "It's already been decided, The Gustoff coven will not expect humans, I'm sure of it, but they can smell you and Bella miles away. Edward and Alice have already volunteered, they will be going to speak to Rosalie,"

"How do you know where they are?" The feeling was getting stronger and I swept my eyes into the forest around me.

"We don't. They're going to Israel, where the Gustoff coven dwells," Jasper and I looked at each other in horror.

"No, Carlisle—" We both started in unison, but were cut off by a low hiss. My feeling of dread faded away.

Immediately, all three of us took a defensive stance in the direction of the hiss. Even our acute sight and hearing could not pinpoint the origin. We waited, still as statues and finally, a creature came into our sight. I hissed loudly in anger when I saw Dominic's face. Jasper took a step forward, but Carlisle spoke,

"What is it you have come for?" his voice had a bit of a hiss to it, and I recognized _Upiro_. Dominic put his long, bony hands up in a sign of surrender and lowered himself to the ground.

"I do come in peace, my friends," he said. No one relaxed their stance. "My mother, nor Gizelda know I am here. They all believe the Cullens to be dead." He said, with a sly smile, he added, " I knew otherwise,"

"Speak, you animal! Why is it you are here!" Jasper's sharp voice was full of impatience and anger. Dominic looked to Carlisle.

"Explain yourself, Dominic," he said gently, but firmly, like a father scolding a child.

"I did poison you, and I am sorry for killing some of your coven," he hissed, "It needed to be done. They needed to believe that I killed someone. My mother is dying. They are looking for a new _feminina, _and I know that when she is dead, they will kill me," he explained, "So I am helping you get your sister back,"

Carlisle's stance was still defensive. I ground my toes into the ground, preparing to attack at his command. Jasper I could tell was as impatient as I.

"They will kill you anyway, Dominic," He said. The Dhampir smiled, his thick, pointed rows of razor sharp fangs looked menacing in the darkness.

"I am not going back to them, Dr. Cullen. You have misunderstood me," he said, "I am reaching the peak of my life. I want to help as much as possible before I die, and I don't want _them _to kill me,"

"We can't trust him Carlisle," Jasper said. I shook my head in agreement with him, but I knew nothing bad was going to happen because I didn't have my feeling. Carlisle was staring at Dominic, though and I already knew that he had made up his mind. He always wanted to believe the best in others. Jasper growled in anger and sprinted off into the darkness of the woods. I sighed and released my offensive stance. Dominic looked please and approached.

"Have you fed?" I asked suddenly before we began walking to the cottage. Dominic nodded, and we continued.

"There's something we need to tell you before you go inside," Carlisle said calmly.


End file.
